Assessment of Anxiety, Depression and Hopelessness of the Mothers of Children with Cancer: A Pilot Study of Comparing Evaluation Scales

Objective: After resettlement, an overwhelming number of refugees struggle with Chronic Traumatic Stress (CTS), the persistence of traumatic events (e.g., re-experiencing past trauma; news of on-going war) coupled with daily post-migration stressors (e.g., poverty, lack of transportation). CTS significantly increases the burden of mental health challenges experienced by refugees. Evidence-based mental health treatments often rely on worksheets, mobile applications, websites, or telephone calls to facilitate the management of distress outside of treatment sessions. Language barriers prevent these strategies from being incorporated into mental health treatment for refugees, which results in a significant disparity in care. Treatments delivered via mobile devices can address this barrier through the use of intuitive images that eliminate the need for text or language-based instruction.Methods: A six-week pilot study assessing the effectiveness of group intervention utilizing a language free, culturally relevant mobile health (mHealth) application was conducted in a sample of Somali-Bantu and Nepali-Bhutanese adult refugee men and women (N=18). Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to compare pre- and post-intervention levels of psychosocial distress, anxiety, depression, and traumatic stress, on the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) and an investigator generated coping measure.Results: Results indicated significant reduction (p<.001) in symptoms related to traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and somatic complaints in addition to a significant increase (p<.001) in the use of coping skills.Conclusions: The use of a mobile mental health app, in combination with in-person therapy, was effective in reducing mental health symptomology and in increasing the use of coping skills in Somali-Bantu and Nepali-Bhutanese refugees.

Download Full-text

Effects of Dog-Assisted Therapy in Adolescents with Eating Disorders: A Study Protocol for a Pilot Controlled Trial

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11102784 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 2784

Author(s):

Ana Myriam Lavín-Pérez ◽

Cristina Martín-Sánchez ◽

Beatriz Martínez-Núñez ◽

Luis Lucio Lobato-Rincón ◽

Santos Villafaina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Handgrip Strength ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Control Group ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Anxiety Depression

Background: Eating disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance that alters food intake and it is often accompanied by anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or reduced functional capacity and quality of life. Animal-assisted therapies (AAT) have shown benefits in these variables in children and adult populations. Thus, the present pilot study will aim to evaluate the effects of a dog-assisted therapy on the eating disorders symptoms, mental, psychosocial, and physical health, quality of life, and handgrip strength of adolescents suffering from eating disorders. Methods: The current pilot study will involve 32 patients, who will be assigned to a control or an experimental group. Intervention will be conducted once a week for seven weeks. Neither the experimental nor the control group will discontinue their usual care. The main outcome measures will be the eating disorder symptoms and the health-related quality of life measured with standardized questionnaires, while the secondary variables will be anxiety, depression, character, behavior, strength, and body mass. Conclusions: This pilot-controlled trial will be the first to evaluate the effects of dog-assisted therapy on the physical and mental health of adolescents with eating disorders. Significant improvements, in the primary and secondary outcomes, may be expected based on the known benefits of AAT on self-esteem, stress, and self-control in different populations. Finally, although the program is focused on the improvement of adolescents’ health, animal welfare will be a priority in this study.

Download Full-text

Look of Life

Alternative Pain Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-1680-5.ch015 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 364-375

Author(s):

Vittoria Sichi ◽

Giacomo Ercolani ◽

Luca Franchini ◽

Luca Golfari ◽

Silvia Varani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Control Group ◽

Emotional Wellbeing ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Pain Symptoms ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

At Home

The use of virtual reality (VR) shows promising results in improving the emotional wellbeing of cancer patients, reducing anxiety, depression, and pain symptoms. No data exist concerning the use of VR in cancer patients assisted at home. The ANT Foundation decided to conduct a pilot study to test the use of VR in cancer patients assisted at home. Fifty-eight ANT patients were randomized and assigned to a control group that didn't use VR devices and to an experimental group that used them. The primary objective of the pilot study was to determine whether VR device could be a viable instrument in homecare patients. Furthermore, the aim of the study was to discover if VR could have beneficial effects on patients' quality of life as well as discover which kind of videos were more effective. The innovative aspect of this study was to test the use of VR directly at home of patients, proposing a use of VR that is compatible with the needs and the daily rhythms of families, and investigating its effectiveness through appropriate validated psychometric questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.

Download Full-text

Pilot study of anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients with the diagnosis of metastatic uveal melanoma

Annals of Oncology ◽

10.1093/annonc/mdy296.011 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. viii560

Author(s):

R. Nshimiyimana ◽

C.E. Guzzetta ◽

M.-M. Brown ◽

Q. Zhou ◽

J.M. Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Uveal Melanoma ◽

Anxiety Depression

Download Full-text

Preferences for Participation in Treatment Decision Making and Information Needs of Parents of Children With Cancer: A Pilot Study

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing ◽

10.1177/104345429901600103 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 13-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 85

Author(s):

Kimberly A. Pyke-Grimm ◽

Lesley Degner ◽

Acita Small ◽

Bryan Mueller

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Information Needs ◽

Treatment Decision ◽

Children With Cancer ◽

Treatment Decision Making

Download Full-text

Analysis of Medico-Social Factors for Job Retention Among Patients Presenting With Haematological Malignancy (Adamentine): Results of a ‘Pilot Study’

10.21203/rs.3.rs-21916/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bénédicte CLIN ◽

Natacha Heutte ◽

Mathilde Boulanger ◽

Xavier Troussard ◽

Edouard Cornet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Social Factors ◽

Haematological Malignancy ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Job Retention ◽

Validated Questionnaires ◽

The Mean ◽

Absence From Work ◽

Anxiety Depression

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to describe return to work determinants in patients with haematological malignancy. Results This medico-social pilot study included patients with haematological malignancy in the département of Calvados, aged 18 to 55 years, diagnosed between 1st January and 31st December 2010 and alive at 1st January 2015. Patients were identified via consultation of the Lower Normandy haematological malignancy Registry. They completed a specially developed self-questionnaire, in addition to validated questionnaires for anxiety-depression, quality of life and fatigue. Of the patients contacted, 50% accepted to participate. The mean age at diagnosis was 49.8 years, and the majority of patients (79.2%) was professionally active at the time of diagnosis. Only 64.9% of subjects had stopped work due to illness. The psychological impact (demonstrated anxiety) was significantly greater in men (p = 0.01). The majority of subjects returned to work after treatment (80.7%) and among them, the mean duration of absence from work was 16.1 months. Only 52.6% of subjects had informed their occupational physician and 56.7% had benefited from a pre-return visit.

Download Full-text

Look of Life

Advances in Psychology, Mental Health, and Behavioral Studies - Virtual and Augmented Reality in Mental Health Treatment ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7168-1.ch015 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 262-270

Author(s):

Vittoria Sichi ◽

Giacomo Ercolani ◽

Luca Franchini ◽

Luca Golfari ◽

Silvia Varani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Control Group ◽

Emotional Wellbeing ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Pain Symptoms ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

At Home

The use of virtual reality (VR) shows promising results in improving the emotional wellbeing of cancer patients, reducing anxiety, depression, and pain symptoms. No data exist concerning the use of VR in cancer patients assisted at home. The ANT Foundation decided to conduct a pilot study to test the use of VR in cancer patients assisted at home. Fifty-eight ANT patients were randomized and assigned to a control group that didn't use VR devices and to an experimental group that used them. The primary objective of the pilot study was to determine whether VR device could be a viable instrument in homecare patients. Furthermore, the aim of the study was to discover if VR could have beneficial effects on patients' quality of life as well as discover which kind of videos were more effective. The innovative aspect of this study was to test the use of VR directly at home of patients, proposing a use of VR that is compatible with the needs and the daily rhythms of families, and investigating its effectiveness through appropriate validated psychometric questionnaires and semi-structured interviews.

Download Full-text