Component Scale Scores Research Articles

30 Does Peer Support Facilitate Social Integration Following Burn Injury?

Abstract Introduction Facilitating access to one-to-one peer support is an important criterion in providing aftercare for individuals with a burn injury. Although there is an increase in understanding of the perceived benefits of peer support, there are not many studies examining peer support as an intervention to promote community re-entry. This comparative study aims to examine if there is a difference in physical and mental health outcomes, including social reintegration between a group that received one-to-one peer support (PS) and a group that did not receive the peer support (NPS). Methods Subjects include adults (>=18y) with a major burn injury who received treatment at a major burn center and consented to participate in a longitudinal national database at discharge from hospital, 6-, 12-, and 24-months post injury. The physical and mental health outcomes were measured using the SF-12 Health Questionnaire – Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) component (50 is the average score or norm); the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Social Integration (SI) was measured by the Community Integration Questionnaire Social Component Scale (score range 0–12; 0 is no community integration and 12 is excellent community integration). The PS program offered at the burn center is a standardized program that includes an 8-hour peer volunteer training. Independent Samples t Tests were conducted to see if there were significant differences in health outcomes between the group that received PS and the group that did not receive PS (NPS). Results Over a period of 5 years, 228 subjects consented to participate in the database. Subjects were predominantly male (70%) and White (72%), with a mean age of 44 years and the mean total body surface area was 24.8%. Sixty-three (28%) subjects received peer visits during their stay in the hospital. Compared to the NPS group, the social integration score for the PS group was higher at all time points, although it was statistically significant only at 24 months (PS= 8.22, NPS=7.13, p< .01). The PS group scored significantly higher in satisfaction with life at 6 months (p< .01) and at 12 months (p< .05). There were significant differences found in TBSA %burn (PS = 31%, NPS = 22%; p< .001), average length of acute hospital stay (PS= 52 days, NPS = 31 days; p< .01), and average length of in-patient rehabilitation stay (PS= 12 days, NPS = 5 days; p< .05). Conclusions The social integration and satisfaction with life scores of the PS group was higher when compared to those of the NPS group. The study highlights the profile of patients who seek peer support visits and has implications for delivery and utilization of burn aftercare programs. Applicability of Research to Practice The study findings highlight the emerging need for providing burn survivors with resources such as peer support to facilitate successful community reentry, and examine the effects of such interventions on health outcomes.

Quality of Life in People with Multiple Sclerosis: Data from the Sonya Slifka Longitudinal Multiple Sclerosis Study

Current knowledge about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is limited. We compared item and component scale scores on the Medical Outcomes Short Form 12 (SF-12) of 2,109 people with MS to U.S. norms and published data on persons with other medical conditions. We also built regression models for SF-12-derived mental (MCS) and physical component scale (PCS) scores. Seventy-five percent of the sample had been diagnosed with MS for over 5 years, and one-half to two-thirds received help with at least one activity of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activity of daily living (IADL), respectively. The mean PCS score was 36.2 (Standard Error: 0.27), significantly lower by 14 points than the U.S. population norm and by 4–12 points than mean scores for individuals with diabetes, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, hypertension or depression. The mean MCS score was 49.2 (Standard Error: 0.25), significantly lower than the norm for the U.S. population and the mean scores for the chronic condition groups except congestive heart failure and depression. We identified several demographic, disease, and health services factors that were significantly related to quality of life and highlighted a number of areas for improvement. We concluded that the quality of the lives of people with MS could be enhanced by removing barriers to MS care, general health care, and mental health care; meeting needs for help with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living; supporting employment; and improving access to disease modifying agents and symptomatic treatments.