Mental health status and quality of life of people with disabilities in social isolation

Introduction: at this critical moment of the COVID -19 pandemic, we observe the social withdrawal and the break from the routine of individuals in society, for people with disabilities who need adequate support and a routine of more intense and effective activities may feel a greater need for care and attention of family support for solving everyday problems. Objective: to identify factors associated with the impact of the pandemic on the quality of life of individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. Methods: a virtual survey was carried out with parents and caregivers of people with disabilities to identify the main factors associated with the impact of the Pandemic on daily life and social relationships between family and community. Results: of the parents and caregivers we had access to and answered the questionnaire, 90% are residents of the ABC region of São Paulo. Their children and adolescents with disabilities are between 4 and 18 years old. The main scores of caregivers on difficulties in care during the pandemic, 70% felt helpless at some point, 17% had difficulties in performing self-care activities, 42% had anguish and fear during the period, 83% have the greatest responsibility for household decisions, and about 50% can share those decisions. Conclusion: the main complaints about the care of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic are related to the feeling of fear and anguish that affects decision-making and family relationships, which influences self-care activities and mental health of this population.

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Quality of Life and Mental Health of Infertile Women Affected by Endometriosis: A Narrative Review

Current Women s Health Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573404815666190405112419 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 238-244

Author(s):

Cristina Zarbo ◽

Agostino Brugnera ◽

Rita Secomandi ◽

Ilario Candeloro ◽

Chiara Malandrino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Stress Perception ◽

Infertile Women ◽

Assisted Reproductive Treatment ◽

General Quality ◽

The Impact ◽

Test Outcomes

Objective: Infertility has a severe impact on quality of life and mental health. This condition could be exacerbated by the existence of comorbid medical disease, like endometriosis. The aim of this critical narrative review is the examination of the state of the art about the quality of life and mental health in infertile women with endometriosis. Methods: We performed a rigorous and systematic search for studies on multiple electronic databases. A total of 6 papers were included in the review and were subjected to interpretative and critical narrative synthesis. Results and Discussion: Major findings are resumed in the following points: (a) infertile women with endometriosis when compared to infertile ones without endometriosis show higher depression, stress perception, and anxiety, and lower general quality of life; (b) quality of life specifically related to infertility is similar among women with and without endometriosis and seems to be related to personality and beliefs factors; (c) giving birth to a child is related to better mental quality of life; (d) during assisted reproductive treatment (ART) stimulation, infertile women with endometriosis have a decrease of dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia; (e) satisfaction of ART is related to the number of attempts, treatment accomplishment and pregnancy test outcomes. Clinical implications of these findings and suggestions for future researches were discussed. Conclusion: Concluding, it is crucial to assess the psychological factors related to endometriosis and infertility to reduce the impact of these diseases on quality of life and mental health, provide adequate support to these patients, improve their satisfaction and increase the change to get pregnant.

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Promoting the Quality of Life of Elderly during the COVID-19 Pandemic

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18136813 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (13) ◽

pp. 6813

Author(s):

Chia-Jung Lee ◽

Yen Hsu

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Learning Experience ◽

The Elderly ◽

Learning Approach ◽

Learning Center ◽

Learning Centers ◽

Technology Learning ◽

The Impact

This study explored the technology learning model of the elderly in a senior learning center under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many senior learning centers were closed during the pandemic, and many of them adopted the mode of online education. However, problems such as decreased motivation and a lack of peer interaction still exist. To solve these problems, this study used the easy-to-implement calligraphy AR approach and E-book approach to conduct a quasi-experiment on the elderly of a calligraphy course offered by a senior learning center. The results show a higher learning motivation among the elderly who use calligraphy AR. The learning effectiveness and technology acceptance of the elderly in the E-book learning group were higher than those in the calligraphy AR group. The elderly mentioned that the E-book learning approach is more user-friendly. In general, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the suspension of classes in senior centers, education through the development of technology has stimulated the growth of education in advanced learning centers. Through this kind of scientific and technological learning method, it will bring a whole new experience to the elderly. It can improve the stress relief methods, mental health, and quality of life of the elderly during the COVID-19 emergency shutdown, and provide a novel calligraphy technique learning experience for the elderly. Therefore, we believe that the calligraphy AR learning approach and the calligraphy E-book learning approach are practical and may promote quality of life and mental health of the elderly during the emergency closures due to COVID-19, providing elderly attendees with a novel calligraphy technology learning experience.

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AB0727 WORK OUTCOMES AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS PATIENTS IN CHINA

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-eular.1650 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 1658.1-1658

Author(s):

L. Tu ◽

Y. Xie ◽

Q. Lv ◽

M. Yang ◽

Z. Liao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Ankylosing Spondylitis ◽

Disease Duration ◽

Productivity Loss ◽

Work Productivity ◽

Work Outcomes ◽

Activity Impairment ◽

Factors Associated ◽

The Impact

Background:Poorer work productivity due to pain and functional impairment is commonly seen in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, which may contribute to huge social economic burden. However, data about work outcomes and associated factors in Chinese AS patients were barely reported.Objectives:To assess work outcomes and identify factors associated with poor work productivity in patients with AS in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in China. Adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) fulfilled the 1984 New York modified criteria of AS were enrolled from rheumatology center from Jan 2017 to Aug 2017. All participants completed questionnaires about socio-demographic characteristics, disease characteristics, quality of life and the Work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire in AS (WPAI:SpA) to accesses the impact of chronic health conditions on job performance and productivity. Factors associated with work outcomes were evaluated.Results:A total of 91 patients with AS were included: 87.8% males, 78.02% employed, mean age and disease duration of 30 and 10 years respectively. The mean (SD) activity impairment of all patients was 48.57% (22.02%). For patients with employed work, mean (SD) absenteeism, presenteeism and work productivity loss were 10.22% (19.44%), 43.86% (22.48%) and 47.92% (25.81%) respectively. In multivariable analysis, activity impairment was associated with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) (P<0.01) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) (P<0.01). Absenteeism was associated with disease duration (P=0.03). Presenteeism was associated with disease duration (P=0.04), BASFI (P<0.01) and ASQoL (P<0.01). Work productivity loss was associated with BASFI (P<0.01) and ASQoL (P<0.01).Conclusion:Longer disease duration, reduced physical function and poorer quality of life are associated with reduced work productivity in Chinese AS patients.References:[1]Boonen A, van der Heijde D, Landewe R, Spoorenberg A, Schouten H, Rutten-van Molken M, et al. Work status and productivity costs due to ankylosing spondylitis: comparison of three European countries. Annals of the rheumatic diseases. 2002;61(5):429-37.[2]Martindale J, Shukla R, Goodacre J. The impact of ankylosing spondylitis/axial spondyloarthritis on work productivity. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2015;29(3):512-23.[3]Castillo-Ortiz JD, Ramiro S, Landewe R, van der Heijde D, Dougados M, van den Bosch F, et al. Work Outcome in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis: Results From a 12-Year Followup of an International Study. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2016;68(4):544-52.[4]Sag S, Nas K, Sag MS, Tekeoglu I, Kamanli A. Relationship of work disability between the disease activity, depression and quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2018;31(3):499-505.[5]Goh Y, Kwan YH, Leung YY, Fong W, Cheung PP. A cross-sectional study on factors associated with poor work outcomes in patients with axial spondyloarthritis in Singapore. Int J Rheum Dis. 2019;22(11):2001-8.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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Impact of Pediatric COVID-19 on Family Health-Related Quality of Life: A Qualitative Study from Latvia

Global Pediatric Health ◽

10.1177/2333794x211012394 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 2333794X2110123

Author(s):

Inese Stars ◽

Liene Smane ◽

Zanda Pucuka ◽

Ieva Roge ◽

Jana Pavare

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Family Relationships ◽

Family Health ◽

Support Network ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

The Impact

Information on family health-related quality of life (FHRQoL) among families of children with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. This qualitative study explores the impact of pediatric COVID-19 on FHRQoL from the parents’ perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents (n = 20) whose children had tested positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Inductive thematic analysis revealed the following 10 themes that represented parents’ perception of FHRQoL while taking care of a child with COVID-19: pediatric COVID-19 as a disease with many unknowns; emotional saturation; internal family relationships in the context of “a new experience”; routine household activities and daily regimen while family is in lockdown; plenty of free time; a wide social support network; social stigma associated with COVID-19; different options for work; savings and debts; challenges with family housing and transport availability. Our results show that parents experience multiple effects of pediatric COVID-19 with regard to FHRQoL.

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Attitudes towards disclosing a mental illness: impact on quality of life and recovery

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1007/s00127-021-02081-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lea Mayer ◽

Patrick W. Corrigan ◽

Daniela Eisheuer ◽

Nathalie Oexle ◽

Nicolas Rüsch

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Social Withdrawal ◽

Social Consequences ◽

People With Mental Illness ◽

High Internal Consistency ◽

Initial Support ◽

The Impact

Abstract Purpose The decision whether to disclose a mental illness has individual and social consequences. Secrecy may protect from stigma and discrimination while disclosure can increase social support and facilitate help-seeking. Therefore, disclosure decisions are a key reaction to stigma. The first aim of this study was to test a newly developed scale to measure disclosure attitudes, the Attitudes to Disclosure Questionnaire (AtDQ). The second aim was to examine the impact of attitudes towards disclosing a mental illness on quality of life and recovery. Methods Among 100 participants with mental illness, disclosure attitudes, quality of life, recovery, benefits of disclosure, secrecy, social withdrawal, self-stigma, and depressive symptoms were assessed at weeks 0, 3 and 6. Psychometric properties of the AtDQ were analysed. Longitudinal associations between disclosure attitudes at baseline and quality of life and recovery after 6 weeks were examined in linear regressions. Results The analyses of the AtDQ indicated one-factor solutions, high acceptability, high internal consistency, and good retest reliability for the total scale and the subscales as well as high construct validity of the total scale. Results provided initial support for sensitivity to change. More positive disclosure attitudes in general and in particular regarding to family at baseline predicted better quality of life and recovery after 6 weeks. Conclusion The current study provides initial support for the AtDQ as a useful measure of disclosure attitudes. Disclosing a mental illness, especially with respect to family, may improve quality of life and recovery of people with mental illness.

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Killing in Combat; the Diverging Mental Health Impact on Distinct Veteran Populations – A Two-Sample Study

10.31234/osf.io/4g9fb ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Andreas Espetvedt Nordstrand ◽

Christer Lunde Gjerstad ◽

Odin Hjemdal ◽

Are Holen ◽

Tore Tveitstul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Armed Forces ◽

Mental States ◽

Two Samples ◽

The Impact

This study examined the warzone stressors: killing in combat, experiencing personal threats, or traumatic witnessing during deployment in relation to psychological distress, alcohol consumption and quality of life at long-term follow-up. The study was conducted in two samples of Norwegian veterans who had served in Afghanistan (Study 1, N = 4,053) or in Lebanon (Study 2, N = 10,605), respectively. Data were collected through two postdeployment mental health surveys conducted by the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services. Using linear regressions, we investigated the impact of warzone stressors on posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, insomnia, alcohol use, and quality of life. In study 1 (Afghanistan veterans), killing was not a significant predictor of psychological distress, alcohol use, or quality of life, when controlling for Personal Threats and Witnessing exposure. In study 2 (Lebanon veterans) killing remained a significant predictor (p < .001) of symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety, after controlling for other warzone stressors. However, killing was not a significant predictor of alcohol use or quality of life in Study 2. In summary, killing in combat may be associated with increased reports of psychological distress, but there were distinct results in the two studies. Differences in mission statements, rules of engagement, and mental states during combat could explain the diverging outcomes. The results indicate that it may be erroneous to ubiquitously regard killing in combat as a moral stressor, and highlight the importance of clear rules of engagements that accounts for the “on the ground” reality of soldiers.

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Social isolation and quarantine in the COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on mental health and quality of population life

Research Society and Development ◽

10.33448/rsd-v10i2.12535 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. e30510212535

Author(s):

Gabriel Kiaro Leite Nunes ◽

Karinne Alice Santos de Araújo ◽

Thais Ranielle Souza de Oliveira ◽

Marcelina da Conceição Botelho Teixeira ◽

Ieler Ferreira Ribeiro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Definitive Treatment ◽

World Population ◽

The World ◽

The Face ◽

The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about major changes in the lifestyle of the world population. Due to the lack of vaccines or a definitive treatment for disease, governments around the world have adopted social isolation and quarantine as methods to control the spread of the virus. Objective: Thus, the objective of this study was to discuss how social isolation and quarantine periods affected people's mental health and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An integrative literature review was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic between March and September 2020, establishing the following guiding question: How did social isolation and quarantine affect the mental health and quality of life of the population in the COVID-19 pandemic? Results: The final sample consisted of nineteen (19) articles, two (2) addressed depression during the pandemic period, three (3) presented the pandemic and the relationship with sociodemographic aspects, five (5) analyzed mental health in the pandemic, four (4) reported the impact of COVID-19 on the population's style and quality of life and the last five (5) demonstrated the quality of human relationships and emotional aspects in the face of the pandemic. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that isolation and the quarantine period had a negative impact on the population's quality of life and long-term mental health.

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Attitudes About COVID-19 and Health: A Mixed-Methods Smartphone-App and Online Survey Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.29963 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna M. Hood ◽

Hanne Stotesbury ◽

Jennifer Murphy ◽

Melanie Kölbel ◽

April Slee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Data Collection ◽

Physical Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Smartphone App ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact ◽

Monthly Survey

BACKGROUND Behavioral mitigation strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in sweeping lifestyle changes, with short and long-term psychological, well-being, and quality of life implications. The Attitudes About COVID-19 and Health (ATTACH) study focuses on understanding attitudes and beliefs whilst considering the impact on mental and physical health and the influence of broader demographic and geographic factors on attitudes, beliefs, and mental health burden. OBJECTIVE In this assessment of our first wave of data collection, we provide baseline cohort descriptives of ATTACH study participants in the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), and Mexico. Additionally, we assess responses to daily poll questions related to COVID-19 and conduct a cross-sectional analysis of baseline assessments collected in the UK between June 26 and October 31, 2020. METHODS The ATTACH study uses smartphone-app technology and online survey data collection. Participants completed poll questions twice daily related to COVID-19 and a monthly survey assessing mental health, social isolation, physical health, and quality of life. Poll question responses were graphed using 95% Clopper-Pearson (exact) tests with 95% confidence intervals. Pearson correlations, hierarchical linear regression analyses, and generalized linear models assessed relationships, predictors of self-reported outcomes, and group differences, respectively. RESULTS By October 31, 2020, 1405, 80, and 90 participants had consented to participate in the UK, USA, and Mexico, respectively. Descriptive data for the UK daily poll questions indicated that participants were generally following social distancing measures, but worry and negative impacts on families increased as the pandemic progressed. Although participants generally reported feeling that the reasons for current measures had been made clear, there was low trust that the government was doing everything in its power to meet public needs. In the UK, 1282 participants also completed a monthly survey (95% white, 72% female, 21% key or essential workers). Nineteen percent of UK participants reported a pre-existing mental health disorder, 31% reported a pre-existing chronic medical illness, and 35% were over 65. Fifty-seven percent of participants reported being more sedentary since the pandemic began, and 41% reported reduced access to medical care. Those with poorer mental health outcomes lived in more deprived neighborhoods, in larger households (ps < .05), had more pre-existing mental health disorders and medical conditions, and were younger than 65 years (all ps < .001). CONCLUSIONS Communities who have been exposed to additional harm during the COVID-19 pandemic were experiencing worse mental outcomes. Factors including having a medical condition, or living in a deprived neighborhood or larger household were associated with heightened risk. Future longitudinal studies should investigate the link between COVID-19 exposure, mental health, and sociodemographic and residential characteristics.

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Validation of the English Version of the Scale for Psychosocial Factors in Food Allergy and the Relationship with Mental Health, Quality of Life, and Self-Efficacy

Journal of Allergy ◽

10.1155/2016/4850940 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rebecca C. Knibb ◽

Aaron Cortes ◽

Christopher Barnes ◽

Carol Stalker

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Food Allergy ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Holistic View ◽

Parental Quality ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Background. The Scale for Psychosocial Factors in Food Allergy (SPS-FA) is based on the biopsychosocial model of health and was developed and validated in Chile to measure the interaction between psychological variables and allergy symptoms in the child. We sought to validate this scale in an English speaking population and explore its relationship with parental quality of life, self-efficacy, and mental health. Methods. Parents (n=434) from the general population in the UK, who had a child with a clinical diagnosis of food allergy, completed the SPS-FA and validated scales on food allergy specific parental quality of life (QoL), parental self-efficacy, and general mental health. Findings. The SPS-FA had good internal consistency (alphas = .61–.86). Higher scores on the SPS-FA significantly correlated with poorer parental QoL, self-efficacy, and mental health. All predictors explained 57% of the variance in SPS-FA scores with QoL as the biggest predictor (β=.52). Discussion. The SPS-FA is a valid scale for use in the UK and provides a holistic view of the impact of food allergy on the family. In conjunction with health-related QoL measures, it can be used by health care practitioners to target care for patients and evaluate psychological interventions for improvement of food allergy management.

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Divorce after breast cancer diagnosis and its impact on quality of life

Palliative & Supportive Care ◽

10.1017/s1478951521001711 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Danbee Kang ◽

Nayeon Kim ◽

Gayeon Han ◽

Sooyeon Kim ◽

Hoyoung Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Factors Associated ◽

After Cancer ◽

The Impact

Abstract Objective This study aims to identify factors associated with divorce following breast cancer diagnosis and measures the impact of divorce on the quality of life (QoL) of patients. Methods We used cross-sectional survey data collected at breast cancer outpatient clinics in South Korea from November 2018 to April 2019. Adult breast cancer survivors who completed active treatment without any cancer recurrence at the time of the survey (N = 4,366) were included. The participants were classified into two groups: “maintaining marriage” and “being divorced,” between at the survey and at the cancer diagnosis. We performed logistic regression and linear regression to identify the factors associated with divorce after cancer diagnosis and to compare the QoL of divorced and nondivorced survivors. Results Approximately 11.1/1,000 of married breast cancer survivors experienced divorce after cancer diagnosis. Younger age, lower education, and being employed at diagnosis were associated with divorce. Being divorced survivors had significantly lower QoL (Coefficient [Coef] = −7.50; 95% CI = −13.63, −1.36), social functioning (Coef = −9.47; 95% CI = −16.36, −2.57), and body image (Coef = −8.34; 95% CI = −6.29, −0.39) than survivors who remained married. They also experienced more symptoms including pain, insomnia, financial difficulties, and distress due to hair loss. Conclusion Identifying risk factors of divorce will ultimately help ascertain the resources necessary for early intervention.

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