scholarly journals Effectiveness of a health literacy intervention based on transformative learning and incorporating positive psychology on health behavior and well-being of Thai families with NCDs risk

Author(s):  
Ungsinun Intarakamhang ◽  
Ann Macaskill

Background: Thailand has a higher global NCD mortality rate in comparison to the rest of the world, accounting for 75% and 71% of all deaths. WHO focused increasingly on health literacy (HL) in order to decrease NCDs. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an HL intervention utilizing transformative learning and positive psychology with mindfulness training in terms of changing levels of HL, health behavior (HB), and health outcomes.  Design and Methods: The study was a randomized control trial from May to September 2019.  The participants were a rural Thai population with low levels of HL, living in an area with high levels of NCDs. The 200 participants were cluster randomly allocated to an eight-week intervention, and the control group. The data were collected by Likert questionnaires and physical exams, and analyzed via ANOVA. Results: The intervention group mean scores for HL, psychological capital, HB, and family well-being increased from baseline to post-intervention, but decreased during the follow-up but were still significantly higher than the control group and baseline scores. The increases in HL and HB were matched by improvements in physiological measurement. The BMI scores of the intervention group decreased in each phase, while the control group scores remained largely unchanged. An intervention group had significantly lower fasting blood sugar than the controls at the intervention and in the follow-up. There was no interaction between social support and any other variables.Conclusion: This program demonstrated improvements in HL, HB and the well-being of Thai families at risk of NCDs in rural communities.

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-313
Author(s):  
Óscar Sánchez-Hernández ◽  
Francisco X. Méndez ◽  
Manuel Ato ◽  
Judy Garber

This study addressed the development and evaluation of the Smile Program whose main objective was the prevention of depression and the promotion of well-being in adolescents. The program is based on interventions that have been shown to be efficacious (a cognitive-behavioral approach). Participants were 89 adolescents (mean age = 13.88 years; SD = 0.95) recruited from a sample of 1212 students from seven schools. Results showed a significant reduction in self-reported depressive symptoms in the intervention group (n= 51) as compared to youth in the control group (n= 38). Based on parents’ report (n=56), youth in the intervention group had significantly better self-esteem at post-test as compared to youth in the control group. At four months post intervention, youth in the intervention group had higher psychological well-being than those in the control group; at the 8-month follow-up, youth in the intervention condition reported better family self-concept.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Forouzandeh Soleimanian-Boroujeni ◽  
Negin Badihian ◽  
Shervin Badihian ◽  
Vahid Shaygannejad ◽  
Yousef Gorji

Abstract Introduction: Psychological interventions are shown to be effective in migraine, but not utilized routinely yet. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (TCBT) on people with migraine (PwM). Method: This study was conducted on 40 PwM aged 20-50 years. We randomly assigned participants to two groups of intervention, receiving 10 sessions of TCBT, and control. Days with headache, headache severity, migraine-related disability and effects on daily life, number of pain-relivers taken for headache, depression, and anxiety were assessed pre-intervention, post-intervention (three-month follow-up), and one-month after TCBT termination (four-month follow-up).Results: Thirty-five participants suffering moderate to severe migraine completed the study (16 and 19 in TCBT and control groups, respectively). TCBT improved all measured items between study time-points (p<0.05) in the intervention group, while such an improvement was not observed in the control group. Between group comparisons revealed superiority of TCBT group compared to the control group in most measured items at three- and four-month follow-ups (p<0.05).Conclusion: Ten sessions of TCBT improved migraine severity, associated disability, anxiety, and depression in PwM, with persistent effects after one month of therapy termination. TCBT is an affordable, practical, and feasible intervention to be utilized for PwM.Protocol registration: The study protocol was registered in clinicaltrial.gov (NCT03701477) prior to enrollment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Salazar ◽  
V Vilchez-Barboza ◽  
K Saez ◽  
T Paravic

Abstract Objective To establish the effect after 24 months of a face-to-face and telephone nursing counseling intervention, aimed at controlling cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia and overweight) and improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients of the cardiovascular health program of family health centers of Concepciόn, Chile. Methods Randomized controlled clinical trial with a 24 months post-intervention follow-up. 120 patients with cardiovascular risk factors under the cardiovascular health program were recruited from 6 family health centers and randomized into a control group (60) and an intervention group (60). The intervention group received the regular care in addition to face-to-face and telephone nursing counseling. Baseline measurements were taken and also at the end of the intervention (7 months). Participants returned then after 12 and 24 months for follow-up evaluations. A total of 109 subjects completed the intervention at 7 months and 45 returned at 24 months. During follow-up evaluations both groups continued to receive regular care given in the health centers. The measurements consisted of HRQoL (physical and mental health), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), abdominal circumference (AC), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL-Chol), high density lipoprotein (HDL-Chol), atherogenicity index (LDL/HDL), cardiovascular risk factor (TC/HDL), 10-year coronary risk. Ethical requirements were considered and statistical analysis was carried out using MANCOVA and d-Cohen repeated measurements. Results The analysis of the effects of the intervention in the 24-month follow-up showed that subjects in the intervention group only maintained significant improvement of AC over time (F=3.18; p=0.03), compared to the control group. Conclusion Although participants in the intervention group only maintained the AC improvement over time, this can be regarded as an indirect indicator of the presence of intra-abdominal fat that makes it possible to predict and classify the risk of cardiovascular disease. Long-term follow-up studies are required to investigate behaviors and mechanisms that contribute to maintaining improvements in this indicator. Additionally, future research should include reinforcement activities, either face-to-face or by telephone, to help maintain the positive results of interventions. Acknowledgement/Funding Universidad de Concepciόn 214.082.049-1.0


Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (14) ◽  
pp. e1319-e1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannine Bergmann ◽  
Carmen Krewer ◽  
Klaus Jahn ◽  
Friedemann Müller

ObjectiveTo determine the effects of 2 weeks of intensive robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) on pusher behavior compared to nonrobotic physiotherapy (nR-PT).MethodsIn a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial with 2 parallel arms, we compared 2 weeks of daily RAGT (intervention group) with the same amount of nR-PT (control group). Patients with subacute stroke who had pusher behavior according to the Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP) were included. The primary research questions were whether changes in pusher behavior would differ between groups post intervention, and at a follow-up 2 weeks afterward (SCP and Burke Lateropulsion Scale, Class II evidence). Secondary outcomes included the Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment, the Functional Ambulation Classification, and the Subjective Visual Vertical.ResultsThirty-eight patients were randomized. Thereof, 30 patients received the allocated intervention and were included in the analyses. RAGT led to a larger reduction of pusher behavior than nR-PT at post test (SCP: U = 69.00, r = −0.33, p = 0.037; Burke Lateropulsion Scale: U = 47.500, r = −0.50, p = 0.003) and at follow-up (SCP: U = 54.00, r = −0.44, p = 0.008). Pusher behavior had ceased in 6 of 15 participants in the intervention group and 1 of 15 participants in the control group at post test. At follow-up, 9 of 15 and 5 of 15 participants, respectively, no longer exhibited the behavior.ConclusionsTwo weeks of RAGT seems to persistently reduce pusher behavior, possibly by recalibrating the disturbed inner reference of verticality. The potential benefits of RAGT on pusher behavior and verticality perception require further investigation.Trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register (registration number: DRKS00003444).Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that RAGT is beneficial to reduce pusher behavior in patients with stroke.


2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 333-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Júlia Halamová ◽  
Martin Kanovský ◽  
Karolína Varšová ◽  
Nuriye Kupeli

AbstractThe Emotion Focused Training for Self-Compassion and Self-Protection (EFT-SCP) is an intervention developed to increase skills of self-compassion and protective anger with the aim to decrease self-criticism. This novel intervention was developed on the basis of the latest findings on self-criticism from Emotion-focused therapy and previous programs cultivating compassion (namely Compassion Mind Training and Mindful Self-Compassion Program). According to existing research, simply cultivating self-compassion is not always sufficient in reducing self-criticism. Therefore, the EFT-SCP was designed to build self-compassion whilst developing protective anger to combat self-criticism. Our goal was to investigate the efficacy of this new, short-term, online EFT-SCP program in a non-clinical population. A randomized control trial was conducted with pre- and post-intervention measurements and two-month follow-up of self-compassion and self-criticism/reassurance. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants through a snowballing technique on social media. A total of 123 participants were randomly allocated to the EFT-SCP intervention or to a control condition. The intervention group were instructed through emails to complete an EFT-SCP task every day for 14 consecutive days. The control group did not complete any tasks. Out of 123 participants, 31 from intervention group and 20 from control group completed all measurements. There was a significant effect of the EFT-SCP on increasing self-compassion and self-reassurance scores as reported at two-month follow-up. The EFT-SCP was also effective at reducing self-uncompassionate responding and self-criticism (specifically Hated self) with changes evident at two months post-intervention. These findings are encouraging and suggest that interventions designed to enhance self-compassion and decrease self-criticism can be delivered to broader populations without the direct contact with mental health professionals.


Author(s):  
Melanie E. Freedman ◽  
Brian C. Healy ◽  
Jeff C. Huffman ◽  
Tanuja Chitnis ◽  
Howard L. Weiner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Positive psychology (PP) uses targeted activities to increase the frequency and intensity of positive feelings and may improve overall well-being in medically ill populations. In this pilot study, we examined the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of a five-week, telephone-delivered, PP intervention for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Participants were randomized 1:1 to a five-week at-home PP intervention or waitlist control condition. Participants engaged in weekly phone calls with a study trainer and completed one PP exercise, such as recalling a past success, each week. Feasibility was determined by the number of sessions completed, and acceptability was assessed by weekly post-exercise participant ratings (0–10) of ease and utility. Efficacy was explored by examining between-group differences in changes from baseline on psychological variables, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and self-reported functional activities at five and ten weeks. Results: Thirty patients enrolled in the study. Ninety-three percent of participants (n = 28) completed all exercises. Ease scores ranged from 7.7–8.7 and utility scores ranged from 8.2–8.7. The PP intervention was associated with significantly greater increases (P &lt; .05) in positive affect, optimism, state and trait anxiety, general health, and resilience in the intervention group compared to the control group. Approximately half of the PP participants maintained ≥ 50% of the improvement at 10 weeks. Conclusions: This five-week, telephone-based PP intervention was feasible and acceptable to individuals with MS. Larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to further investigate the utility of this intervention to improve well-being and other health outcomes in MS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiromi Tobe ◽  
Mariko Sakka ◽  
Kiyoko Kamibeppu

Abstract Background The demands of daily life often cause mothers high levels of distress and other negative emotions. Anger, including harsh verbal discipline, has been linked to child maltreatment, with long-term adverse effects on a child’s well-being. It is critically important to teach mothers stress management and emotion regulation in addition to parenting skills, but this is yet to be conducted in a formalized manner. Strengthening the multiple protective factors that constitute resilience helps reduce distress. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a resilience-enhancement program for mothers. Methods We designed a two-arm, parallel, randomized trial with an active control. Mothers and their partners with children between three and six years old will be recruited. Following an online baseline survey, 140 mothers will be randomly allocated to either an intervention or control group. Self-report assessment will be conducted online post-intervention and at a two-month follow-up. The control group will participate in a serious of group discussions. The intervention group will participate in four bi-weekly 120-min sessions of a Cognitive Behavior Therapy-based program designed to enhance resilience, focusing on emotion regulation through cognitive reappraisal. Participants will be encouraged to apply and share the skills they acquire with their partner and children at home. Partners will also be assessed to explore their indirect influence from the mothers. Intention-to-treat analysis will be conducted and the two groups will be compared, applying covariate analysis. The primary outcome of the intervention is improved resilience. Secondary outcomes include improved anger control, self-esteem, cognition of children’s misbehavior, and reduced parental stress. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this study will evaluate the first resilience-enhancement program focused on emotion regulation for mothers in Japan. It will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on building emotional resilience. If the program is found to be effective, it will provide an alternative means to enhance mothers’ resilience against stress and improve their ability to regulate emotion. In so doing, it will offer a way to prevent child maltreatment and protect the mental health of children and families. Trial registration UMIN000027232, May 3, 2017.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Karin Egberg Thyme ◽  
Björn Tavelin ◽  
Inger Öster ◽  
Jack Lindh ◽  
Britt Wiberg

Abstract Objective This follow-up study on perceived self-image and psychophysical distress/psychic symptoms was based on a ranomized contolled study of art therapy on women with breast cancer. Method The aim was to examine the long-term effects of time-limited art therapy using the instruments of Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) and Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90). Results Three attachment clusters of the SASB showed significant changes post therapy: Autonomous self (cluster 1), Accepting self (cluster 2), and Loving self (cluster 3). Clusters 2 and 3 continued to change in favor of the intervention group at the 5-year follow-up. There were no significant differences in the SCL-90 results between the intervention group and the control group in the follow-up study. Significance of results The art therapy intervention was both therapeutic and psycho-educative. The conclusion of this study is that approaching emotions through time-limited art therapy seems to have a long-lasting effect on the attachment behavioral system shown in the SASB model post intervention, and this effect remained 5 years later.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucie Waedel ◽  
Anne Daubmann ◽  
Antonia Zapf ◽  
Olaf Reis

Abstract Background Boys with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities (MBID) are at particular risk to drink in harmful ways once they start to consume alcohol. Interventions based on mindfulness have been proven to be effective in preventing substance use, but mostly for adults with MBID. A mindfulness oriented intervention targeting 11–17 years old boys will be tested in a randomised controlled trial. Study aim is to investigate the benefits of this new intervention compared to an active control condition within a 12 months follow-up. Methods In this randomised controlled proof of concept study, 82 boys with MBID who consumed any alcohol during the last year will be randomised either to the 6 week mindfulness oriented intervention or the control group receiving a control intervention equal in dose and length. The intervention group undergoes mindfulness training combined with interactive drug education, while the control group completes a health training combined with the same education. In the intention-to-treat analysis the primary outcome is the self-reported delay of first post-intervention drunkeness within a 12 months follow-up time span, measured weekly with a short app-based questionnaire. Secondary outcome is the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs within 30 days post-intervention. Changes in neurobiological behavioural parameters, such as impulse control, reward anticipation, and decision making, are also investigated. Other secondary outcomes regard trait mindfulness, emotion regulation, psychopathological symptoms, peer networks, perceived stress, and quality of life. In addition, a prospective registry will be established to record specific data on the population of 11–17 year old boys with MBID without any alcohol experience. Discussion This study offers the opportunity to gain first evidence of the effectiveness of a mindfulness-oriented program for the prevention of substance use for boys with MBID. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00014042. Registered on March 19th 2018.


2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Chadwick ◽  
Nataša Momčilović ◽  
Rowena Rossiter ◽  
Elise Stumbles ◽  
Eric Taylor

Primary school aged children with severe learning disabilities and behavioural problems were identified from those attending special needs schools in three adjacent Inner London boroughs. In two of the boroughs their parents/carers were randomly allocated to receive 5-7 group- or individually-based intervention sessions aimed at preventing or reducing their child's behaviour problems; teaching and support staff at their schools received a 2-day workshop with the same aims. Children in the third borough served as a “no treatment” control group. Follow-up assessments were carried out shortly after the interventions were completed and 6 months later. Individually-based intervention was superior to group-based intervention in acceptability, attendance, levels of participant satisfaction and the likelihood of reported behavioural improvement. Within the individual intervention group, behaviours that had been targeted for intervention were more likely to show improvements than those that were untargeted. However, in spite of these improvements, there were no significant differences between groups in the absolute frequency or severity of the child's behaviour problems at either post-intervention assessment, and reductions in levels of parental distress noted on completion of the interventions were no longer apparent 6 months later.


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