scholarly journals Mediating Effects of Emotional Support Reception and Provision on the Relationship between Group Interaction and Psychological Well-Being: A Study of Young Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 12110
Author(s):  
Steven Sek-yum Ngai ◽  
Chau-Kiu Cheung ◽  
Jianhong Mo ◽  
Spencer Yu-hong Chau ◽  
Elly Nga-hin Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Support ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Support Provision ◽  
The Relationship

While it is well-established that mutual aid groups are effective in the psychological rehabilitation of vulnerable individuals, few studies have thoroughly investigated the dynamic mechanism of how psychological well-being improves through mutual aid groups of young patients with chronic health conditions. In connection with several existing theories (i.e., the helper therapy principle, equity theory, the norm of reciprocity, and the concept of communal relationships), this study aims to: (1) evaluate whether emotional support exchanges (i.e., emotional support reception and provision) mediate the relationship between group interaction and psychological well-being; and (2) compare three potential underlying mechanisms—the mediating role of emotional support provision, equitable reciprocity (i.e., a balance of receiving and providing emotional support, where no party over-benefits or under-benefits), and sequential reciprocity (i.e., repaying the helper or a third party in the future after receiving help)—through a path analysis model. A stratified random sampling procedure with chronic health conditions as the stratifying criterion was used to recruit 391 individuals aged 12–45 years from mutual aid groups in Hong Kong, who completed both the baseline and follow-up surveys over a 12-month interval. The results of the path model revealed significant mediating roles of emotional support provision and sequential reciprocity, not equitable reciprocity. The present study offers theoretical and practical implications for promoting the psychological well-being of young patients with chronic health conditions.

scholarly journals Measuring Development of Self-Help Organizations for Patients with Chronic Health Conditions in Hong Kong: Development and Validation of the Self-Help Organization Development Scale (SHODS)

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1351
Author(s):  
Steven Sek-yum Ngai ◽  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Chau-kiu Cheung ◽  
Hon-yin Tang ◽  
Hiu-lam Ngai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Organization Development ◽  
Developmental Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
The Self ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Self Help

Self-help organizations (SHOs) enable patients with chronic health conditions (PCHCs) to overcome common difficulties through the exchange of knowledge and mutual assistance, which serves as the basis for promoting the self-reliance and well-being of PCHCs. Nevertheless, practical challenges persist because little is known about what and how to evaluate for the developmental outcomes of SHOs. To address this knowledge gap, the present study seeks to develop and validate the Self-Help Organization Development Scale (SHODS). A total of 232 core members from 54 SHOs in Hong Kong participated in our study. The SHODS structure was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. This analysis derived five factors: citizen support, business support, member recovery and mutual aid, organizational health, and functional sustainability. The five-factor structure demonstrated stability across various types of SHOs, as validated by the subgroup analysis based on two criteria: duration of SHO establishment and organization affiliation. Good concurrent validity was supported by significant correlations between the SHODS factors and organizational variables, including staff supervision, staff understanding, networking, advocating, and educating the public and patients. The SHODS also showed excellent internal consistency. In conclusion, the SHODS is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring the developmental outcomes of SHOs.

Children and Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions

2017 ◽  
pp. 145-155
Author(s):  
Alina Morawska
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Triple P ◽  
Childhood Health ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Parenting Support ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Impact

Chronic childhood health conditions are common and significantly affect the child and family. This chapter begins by describing the central role parents play in children’s health outcomes and illness management and the impact the child’s health condition has on parents and the family. Few parenting interventions have been evaluated, and most focus on medical aspects rather than psychosocial factors related to child and family well-being. Existing approaches to parenting support are described, followed by an exploration of the evidence for Triple P interventions. Recent research using Positive Parenting for Healthy Living, a brief parenting intervention for parents with children with chronic health conditions, is showing promising outcomes. Policy and service implications of recent research are summarized.

Psychometric evaluation of the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in young adults with chronic health conditions

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
F. Nearchou ◽  
A. Davies ◽  
E. Hennessy
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Chronic Health

Introduction. The Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is one of the most widely employed tools for measuring perceived social support from three sources: family, friends and a significant other. This study aimed to establish the factor structure of the MSPSS in young adults living with chronic health conditions (CHCs). It also aimed to examine the reliability and convergent validity of the tool. Methods. A cross-sectional quantitative design was applied. Participants (n = 123, 90 females) were students aged 18–25 years recruited from Colleges of Further Education in Ireland (mean age of 20.1 years, s.d. = 2.43). Participants completed the MSPSS and two subscales of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey that assessed social functioning and emotional well-being. Results. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution of the MSPSS in young adults living with CHCs. The three factors together explained 83% of the variance in MSPSS scores. All the items had high loadings on the factors (0.72–0.94). The MSPSS showed satisfactory reliability and convergent validity. Conclusions. These findings suggest that the MSPSS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring perceived social support from three sources in young adults living with CHCs. Social support has been associated with positive outcomes in young adults living with CHCs, thus it is imperative for researchers and clinicians to have access to psychometrically sound instruments to evaluate the construct.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Challenges and Opportunities for Youth With Chronic Health Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Serlachius ◽  
Sherif M Badawy ◽  
Hiran Thabrew
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Stress ◽  
School Closure ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

UNSTRUCTURED School closures, altered access to health services, and economic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic have likely had an impact on the mental and physical well-being of youth worldwide, particularly among those with chronic health conditions (CHCs). A number of challenges and opportunities have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic for youth with CHCs. Challenges include heightened anxiety, disrupted routines, academic and social stresses associated with school closure, increased risk of domestic violence and abuse, and reduced access to physical and psychosocial support. On the other hand, opportunities include reduced academic and social stress, increased time with families, reduced access to substances, easier access to health care using technology, and opportunities to build resilience. This viewpoint paper highlights both challenges and opportunities for youth with CHCs during the pandemic and offers recommendations for further research and clinical care.

scholarly journals Can Vitamin D Positively Impact COVID-19 Risk and Severity Among Older Adults: A Review of the Evidence

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Ray Marks
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Health Status ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Vitamin D Levels

Background The coronavirus Covid-19 strain that emerged in December 2019, continues to produce a widespread and seemingly intractable negative impact on health and longevity in all parts of the world, especially, among older adults, and those with chronic health conditions. Aim The first aim of this review article was to examine, summarize, synthesize, and report on the research base concerning the possible use of vitamin-D supplementation for reducing both Covid-19 risk and severity, especially among older adults at high risk for Covid-19 infections. A second was to provide directives for researchers or professionals who work or are likely to work in this realm in the future. Methods All English language relevant publications detailing the possible efficacy of vitamin D as an intervention strategy for minimizing Covid-19 infection risk published in 2020 were systematically sought. Key words used were: Vitamin D, Covid-19, and Coronavirus. Databases used were PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. All relevant articles were carefully examined and those meeting the review criteria were carefully read, and described in narrative form. Results Collectively, these data reveal vitamin D is a powerful steroid like compound that is required by the body to help many life affirming physiological functions, including immune processes, but its deficiency may seriously impact the health status and well being of the older adult and others. Since vitamin D is not manufactured by the body directly, ensuring those who are deficient in vitamin D may prove a helpful overall preventive measure as well as a helpful treatment measure among older adults at high risk for severe Covid-19 disease outcomes. Conclusions Older individuals with chronic health conditions, as well as healthy older adults at risk for vitamin D deficiency are likely to benefit physically as well as mentally, from efforts to foster adequate vitamin D levels. Geriatric clinicians can expect this form of intervention to reduce infection severity in the presence of Covid-19 infection, regardless of health status, and subject to careful study, researchers can make a highly notable impact in this regard.

Association Between Food Allergy, Psychological Stress, and Allostatic Load

2021 ◽  
pp. 019394592110190
Author(s):  
Anne L. Ersig ◽  
Roger L. Brown ◽  
Kristen Malecki
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Food Allergies ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Chronic Health

Allostatic load (AL), the cumulative biological burden of persistently high stress exposure, influences adult health and well-being across the lifespan, and can be measured with clinical indicators, such as BMI, blood pressure (BP), and waist–hip ratio. Adverse childhood events and other stressors contribute to AL, but stress from other sources, such as previously diagnosed chronic health conditions, has been overlooked. We hypothesized that adults with these conditions would have more stress exposures, higher perceived stress, worse mental health, and higher AL, compared to controls. A secondary analysis of deidentified data from cases with self-reported food allergies and controls found that individuals with chronic health conditions reported more stress exposures, higher levels of perceived stress, and had higher AL, compared to controls. However, other results did not support the study hypotheses. Future studies should examine additional AL measures, such as biomarkers of stress response, in individuals with existing chronic health conditions.

53 Health Outcomes of Siblings of Children with Chronic Health Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. e38-e39
Author(s):  
Benjamin Martinez ◽  
Petros Pechlivanoglou ◽  
Dorisa Meng ◽  
Benjamin Traubici ◽  
Quenby Mahood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chronic Health Condition ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Chronic Health Conditions ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Scale Scores

Abstract Primary Subject area Mental Health Background Chronic childhood health conditions are known to have an impact on the well-being of family members. Parental caregivers face well-defined adverse health outcomes, though less is known about the health impacts on siblings. Objectives To assess clinical health outcomes in siblings of children with chronic health condition(s) compared to siblings of healthy children or normative data. Design/Methods We searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycInfo, and CINAHL through June 4, 2020. We included English-language studies that: (1) reported clinically diagnosable mental or physical health outcomes of siblings of children (0-18 years old) diagnosed with any childhood chronic health condition; (2) included a comparison group; and (3) used an experimental or observational study design. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results We included 28 studies of the 9053 screened, comprising 10 cohort studies and 18 cross-sectional studies. Studies from 11 different countries reported most commonly on siblings of children with disabilities (12 studies), cancer (8 studies), or psychiatric disorders (4 studies). Siblings of children with chronic conditions had greater depression rating scale scores than their comparison groups (standardized mean difference 0.49; 95% CI 0.33-0.65; P < .001 [5 studies]) (Fig. 1), whereas anxiety scores did not differ significantly (standardized mean difference 0.24; 95% CI -0.03-0.52; P = .08 [6 studies]) (Fig. 2). Studies that reported on prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses, rather than rating scale scores, had mixed results, either indicating increased risk (3 studies) or no increased risk (4 studies) among exposed siblings. We did not meta-analyze effects for mortality (3 studies) or physical health outcomes (dental caries [1 study], traumatic brain injury [1 study], sexually transmitted infection [1 study], overweightness/obesity [1 study]) given the limited number of studies and between-study heterogeneity. Included studies were rated as high quality (12 studies) or of moderate quality (16 studies). Conclusion Siblings of children with chronic health conditions may be at an increased risk of depression. Our findings suggest the need for targeted interventions to support the psychological well-being of siblings of children with chronic health conditions.

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