Emotional Support Services Research Articles

Service Providers' Perceptions of Psychological, Emotional, and Behavioral Issues Among Children and Adolescents During COVID‐19 in South Korea

ABSTRACTVarious emotional and psychological support services for children and adolescents were implemented in South Korea during the COVID‐19 era. However, little is known about the limitations and future directions of current support services from the perspective of service providers. The purpose of this study was to explore service providers' perspectives on emotional and psychological support services for children and adolescents. The present study purposively recruited 11 clinical practitioners providing support services for children and adolescents to conduct semistructured focus group interviews. Thematic analysis identified four major themes: (a) a noticeable increase in problematic behaviors among children and adolescents (e.g., intrinsic and extrinsic problem behaviors); (b) changes in service use patterns (e.g., increased non‐face‐to‐face services); (c) frustrations with inadequate support systems (e.g., the absence of qualified professionals); and (d) identifying future directions (e.g., improving awareness of support services). The findings highlight the necessity of enhancing awareness of how to access services by reducing stigma. The findings also emphasize the need for improved cooperation between public and private facilities, as well as a greater number of skilled professionals to provide high‐quality programs. The practical and political implications are discussed based on the findings.

AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF BURIAL GROUND WORKERS IN VIRUDHUNAGAR DISTRICT, TAMILNADU

Burial ground workers has covered wide area of the economic analysis and therefore it is not possible to deal in the details of each them in this paper. We have tried to present some of these specific aspects of the total work. This study analyzed the socio economic analysis of burial ground workers in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. It is different types of burial grounds workers like manuval, gasifier and electric crematorium. Objectives of the study, to examine the characteristics of burial ground workers in Virudhunagar district and to study the burial ground worker income and expenditure pattern in Virudhunagar district. Result of the study, the income, saving, expenditure, and debt levels of crematorium of burial ground workers are influenced by a range of factors. While many workers have moderate income levels and save a significant portion of their income, they also tend to have high expenditure levels and carry some level of debt. Understanding these factors can help workers make informed financial decisions and achieve their financial goals. Finding of the study Challenges, the majority of participants (85%) reported feeling emotionally drained due to the nature of their work, while 70% reported experiencing physical exhaustion. Workload, Many participants (60%) reported feeling overwhelmed by their workload, citing inadequate staffing and inadequate training as contributing factors. Support, Only 30% of participants reported receiving adequate support from their employers or colleagues, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Job Satisfaction, despite the challenges, 70% of participants reported being satisfied with their job, citing a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Suggestions for Improvement, Participants suggested improvements in staffing levels, training programs, and emotional support services. Conclusion of the study, while burial grounds present various economic challenges, they are integral to cultural heritage and societal values. The balanced approach that considers financial sustainability, environmental impact, and cultural significance is essential for the long-term management and preservation of these spaces. The findings suggest that burial ground workers in crematorium settings face significant challenges related to workload, emotional well-being, and support. Despite these challenges, many participants reported feeling satisfied with their job due to the sense of purpose and fulfillment it provides. KEYWORDS: manuval, gasifier, burial grounds workers, economic challenges, financial goals

Exploring the lived experiences of adolescent girls affected by head lice infestation: a qualitative descriptive study

BackgroundHead lice infestation is a prevalent dermatological condition among adolescent girls, which has wide-ranging adverse physical, psychological, and emotional effects on their lives. However, these experiences have been sparsely documented. This study aimed to investigate the lived experiences of Iranian adolescent girls regarding head lice infestation.MethodsIn this phenomenological study, a purposive sampling technique was employed to select 15 adolescent girls who were experiencing head lice infestation. Collaboration was established with local schools to identify and recruit the participants. Subsequently, the purpose and nature of the study were explained to the identified participants and their guardians. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to gather the necessary data. The collected data underwent analysis using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. To enhance the credibility of the findings, Lincoln and Guba’s (2004) criteria were applied. The management of the data was facilitated through the utilization of MAXQDA software version 0.9.5.ResultsThe average age of the participants, aged 12 to 17, was 14.5 (standard deviation = 1.7). In terms of education, the majority of them had completed upper secondary education (n = 8, 53.3%), followed by lower secondary education (n = 4, 26.6%). The participants’ experiences were categorized into four main themes and 15 sub-themes. The main themes included living in the shadow of fear, torment of infestation, “struggling with head lice, and disturbing ramifications. The sub-themes encompassed social fear, fear of harm, fear of beauty decline, stigma, bullying behavior, self-blame, adversity, challenging struggle, effective coping, nonconforming behavior, family disruption, academic disruption, health threats, and confused mental state.ConclusionDuring head lice infestation, adolescent girls endured negative experiences and extensive fears, considering it a significant ordeal. They encountered multiple challenges while dealing with lice and utilized both adaptive and maladaptive strategies to cope with the infestation. It is recommended to enhance public awareness regarding head lice infestation, and healthcare providers should offer emotional support and counseling services to affected girls and their families.

How Can Schools Retain Secondary Emotional Support Teachers? Ask Them

<i>The population of certified special education teachers working and remaining in secondary emotional support classrooms continues to dwindle across the nation. This causes more and more students with Emotional Disturbance to work with a frequent turnover of educators or emergency-certified educators with possibly no prior experience. High school students who receive emotional support services are a vulnerable population that requires a supportive and well-trained special education teacher to help them make academic, emotional, and behavioral progress in the school setting and in achieving their post-secondary goals. This qualitative study explored five veteran schoolteachers’ experiences to identify the factors that have helped them remain in their careers and which ones discourage them from staying. The individual and focus group interviews identified several job-related factors that are consistent with previous literature (diverse student needs), evolution in some (administrator and colleague support), and different or newly identified factors (willingness to take risks, advocating for secondary student’s needs, educator’s personality) that require additional exploration.</i>

Insights from GoFundMe posts: Analyzing GoFundMe financial aid requests from brain tumor patients in Ontario, Canada

Abstract Background Primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors significantly affect individuals globally, with patients in Ontario, Canada, often bearing financial burdens for treatments such as oral chemotherapy due to insufficient coverage, resulting in complex insurance processes or out-of-pocket payments. However, limited understanding exists regarding other direct and indirect financial implications of their diagnosis. This study examines the financial strains, unmet needs, and overarching challenges encountered by Ontario’s brain tumor patients, utilizing GoFundMe posts as a unique data source to explore additional financial costs linked to CNS tumor diagnoses in the region. Methods A qualitative descriptive design employing thematic analysis analyzed GoFundMe posts supporting CNS tumor patients in Ontario from 2014 to 2021. A search strategy targeted posts featuring primary CNS tumor keywords, with NVivo 10 software facilitating post organization and coding. Results Focused on Ontario, the study yielded a final dataset of 154 posts from an initial pool of 9025, revealing further financial strain due to income loss among patients and caregivers. Posts highlighted various concerns: (1) navigating the complexities of accessing support services, (2) worries about family’s long-term financial and overall well-being, (3) insufficient public awareness about the financial and emotional burden on those affected, and (4) seeking emotional support, hope, and encouragement from the community. Conclusions These GoFundMe posts highlight a connection between financial burden, emotional distress, and the need for improved access to financial and emotional support services. The results emphasize distinct financial challenges faced by CNS tumor patients within Ontario’s healthcare system.

Assessment of predictors of satisfaction with life in pre-service teacher education students

Introduction: satisfaction with life plays a crucial role in students' academic and personal experience as it can influence their academic performance, emotional well-being, and adaptation to the higher education environment.Objective: to determine whether resilience, perceived social support, and self-esteem predict satisfaction with life in Peruvian pre-service teacher education students.Methods: a quantitative, observational, analytical, predictive, and cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of 215 students of both sexes who were administered the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Short Form, the Social Support Perception Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, instruments with adequate psychometric properties. Regarding statistical methods, Pearson correlation coefficient was used, followed by multiple linear regression analysis.Results: multiple regression analysis showed a good fit for the model (F=78,319; p<0,05), indicating that resilience (β=0,103; p<0,05), perceived social support (β=0,268; p<0,05), and self-esteem (β=0,274; p<0,05) explained 52 % of the total variance of the satisfaction with life variable.Conclusions: resilience, perceived social support, and self-esteem predict satisfaction with life in Peruvian pre-service teacher education students. Therefore, it is recommended to foster an institutional culture that values and promotes students' emotional well-being, providing psychological and emotional support resources and services

Improving the mental health of farmers: what types of remote support are acceptable, feasible, and improve outcomes? A feasibility RCT

BackgroundThe farming community have high rates of poor mental health, and are relatively ‘hard to reach’ with mental health services. The aim of this study was therefore to undertake a feasibility RCT, based on two mental health interventions. These were (1) CBT based ‘Living Life to the Full for Farming Communities’ (LLTTF-F; www.llttf.com), and (2) a holistic social and emotional support service delivered by the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI). The feasibility was supplemented by process evaluation.MethodsThis feasibility study aimed to recruit 40 individuals from the farming community who were experiencing a common health problem defined as a score of > = 8 on PHQ-9. A snowball approach was used to recruit interested individuals who had an association with farming. An initial telephone call screened for eligibility and obtained consent to randomisation to the two specified interventions, or to a thirdly group receiving a combination of both LLTTF-F and ‘Social and emotional support’. Participants were permitted to override the randomised option if they expressed a strong preference before the interventions began.ResultsThirty-two participants provided baseline and three-month data. All three interventions showed positive improvements on PHQ-9 scores as follows: the ‘combined intervention’ mean baseline score was 18.1 compared to 12.0 at 3-month follow-up (mean change 6.1). ‘Social and emotional support’ mean baseline score was 11.3 compared to 6.7 at 3-month follow-up (mean change 4.6). ‘LLTTF-F CBT-based intervention only’ mean baseline score was 11.8 compared to 4.5 at 3-month follow-up (mean change 7.3). The retention rate was 81% at three months.In a sub-group of the LLTTF-F CBT-based intervention online materials were supplemented by telephone guided support. This approach received very positive feedback.ConclusionsRecruitment from the farming community required intense effort, and good engagement can then be retained for at least three months. There is evidence that the interventions used were feasible, and tentative evidence that they had a demonstrable effect on mental wellbeing, with the LLTTFF providing the largest effect on PHQ-9 scores.Trial Registration Number ISRCTN27173711, submitted 25/08/2023, confirmed 22/092023.

Research on the Construction of Vocal Music Teaching Resources Integration and Sharing Platform in Colleges and Universities under the Background of Modern Science and Technology

Abstract The construction of the teaching resources sharing platform provides high-quality teaching resource retrieval and browsing channels for teachers and students in schools and the majority of off-campus users. This paper combines the functional objectives of the sharing platform design, analyzes the functional requirements of the sharing platform, and designs the overall functional framework of the platform with the advantage of cloud platform technology architecture. Gagne's classification theory of learning results is used to categorize vocal music teaching resources. Blockchain copyright protection technology has been selected to manage the digital resources of vocal music and optimize the privacy protection of users and resource copyright information. Design a user-friendly interface, update the learning interest model using the user interest model, form a personalized recommendation model based on students’ learning interests, and design a sharing scheme for vocal music teaching resources. Test the response performance of blockchain copyright protection and analyze the service impact of a college vocal music teaching resource-sharing platform from the perspective of learning support service. Most of the students have learning communities in the learning process, and the learning communities give the learners a “common identity” and emotional support services so as to achieve the purpose of the construction of a college vocal music teaching resources sharing platform.

Nursing activities for health promotion in palliative home care: an integrative review

Palliative care in community contexts is undergoing significant change as a result of public policy and new models of care, which link health promotion principles with palliative care practices. These models support the creation of partnerships between formal care structures and the communities in which care is provided. Given the central role of nurses in the institutional delivery of palliative care, particularly in the home, it is important to provide a systematic description of the activities of nurses that fall within the principles of health promotion. The objective was to describe the diverse range of nursing activities for health promotion that are provided in the palliative home care setting. This is an integrative review. Fifty-five studies listed in the MEDLINE, CINAHL and EMBASE databases, and published between 1999 and December 2022, were identified. Data analysis and presentation of the results were guided by Kellehear’s Health-Promoting Palliative Care (HPPC) model. Six themes were identified to describe nursing activities for health promotion in the context of palliative home care: creating a meaningful relationship, supplying medical information, promoting self-care throughout the trajectory, providing emotional support, involving professional or community services and supporting change. The findings point to nurses focusing more on the individual context and on direct care. The relationship with communities in which they work remains unidirectional. However, some HPPC principles are relevant to nursing activities through the contextualization of nurses’ actions and their moral responsibility to work towards the respect of patient’s values. Being poorly described, how nurses can truly engage their practice towards health-promoting principles, such as the enhancement of support and control over their lives for people living with serious illness, still requires further empirical research.

Family Support Services and Reported Parent Coping Among Caregivers of Children with Emotional, Behavioral, or Developmental Disorders.

Caregivers of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) experience substantial strain caring for their child's special needs because of high needs for health and other support services. Caregivers of CSHCN with emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems (EBDPs) report stress and poor mental health at higher rates than caregivers of other CSHCN. Although family support services are associated with caregiver mental health and well-being among families of CSHCN, the association of these factors with caregiver coping has been underexamined. Using the Double ABCX Model of Family Adaptation to guide variable selection, this study uses 2016 to 2019 data from the National Survey of Children's Health. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logistic analyses examined the association between caregivers' receipt of adequate care coordination and emotional support services and their reported coping with the day-to-day strains of parenting. These relationships are compared between caregivers of CSHCN with and without EBDPs. Receipt of adequate care coordination was associated with higher rates of caregiver-reported positive coping for all caregivers of CSHCN who have no source of emotional support. Receipt of emotional support services was associated with increased reports of positive coping for caregivers for all CSHCN as well. Caregivers reporting only informal sources of emotional support, however, also reported higher rates of positive coping when compared with caregivers with no source of emotional support. Mobilization of resources that can aid caregivers in coordinating care and provide emotional support may play a key role in positive caregiver coping for families of CSHCN.

AI in healthcare: navigating opportunities and challenges in digital communication.

The landscape of healthcare communication is undergoing a profound transformation in the digital age, and at the heart of this evolution are AI-powered chatbots. This mini-review delves into the role of AI chatbots in digital health, providing a detailed exploration of their applications, benefits, challenges, and future prospects. Our focus is on their versatile applications within healthcare, encompassing health information dissemination, appointment scheduling, medication management, remote patient monitoring, and emotional support services. The review underscores the compelling advantages of AI chatbots. However, it also addresses the significant challenges posed by the integration of AI tools into healthcare communication.

Exploring men's struggles with infertility: A qualitative content analysis.

To investigate the experiences of men struggling with infertility. This is a qualitative study, and the report follows the COREQ checklist. A team of nurse researchers conducted this research in Iran to examine the experiences of 11 men with primary infertility. The participants were selected through targeted sampling and underwent in-depth semi-structured interviews. The data collected was analysed using the conventional content analysis method outlined by Krippendorff. To ensure the study's accuracy, it followed the criteria proposed by Lincoln and Guba. The central theme, "the threat to masculinity," was identified upon analysis. It comprises six categories: psychological pressure of confronting reality, frustration, discomfort with others, holding out against ridicule, tolerating unwanted opinions and advice and concealment of infertility and therapy. This study brings attention to the challenge to masculinity that men with primary infertility face as their central struggle. It highlights the importance of culturally sensitive care from healthcare professionals, emotional support, counselling services and public awareness to reduce the stigma surrounding male infertility. It can be valuable to evaluate and enhance infertility care in various settings. To provide the best possible care for infertile men, it would be beneficial for nurses to pay more attention to sociocultural factors. Fertility care should be respectful of patients' beliefs and backgrounds. WHAT PROBLEM DID THE STUDY ADDRESS?: Infertility care has been the subject of recent research, focusing on the impact of sociocultural factors. Male-factor infertility is often overlooked in clinical care literature. There is a correlation between cultural background and men's acceptance of reproductive healthcare. WHAT WERE THE MAIN FINDINGS?: Male infertility is often avoided in discussions due to its perceived threat to masculinity. Multiple factors, including societal norms, cultural expectations and personal experiences, influence the nature of men's struggles with infertility. Providing emotional support and counselling services is crucial so that men can openly discuss their fertility challenges and seek treatment without feeling ashamed or judged. WHERE AND ON WHOM WILL THE RESEARCH HAVE AN IMPACT?: Raising public awareness and providing education about male infertility is crucial. Nurses must exhibit cultural sensitivity while caring for men experiencing infertility. Policymakers need to implement strategies to reduce the stigma surrounding male infertility. The study is reported using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). No public or patient involvement.

Breastfeeding in children with cleft lip and palate and its effect on surgical outcomes

Breastfeeding is a fundamental aspect of infant nutrition and development. However, children born with cleft lip and palate face unique challenges in breastfeeding due to structural anomalies in their facial and oral regions. This study explores the intricate landscape of CLP, covering its epidemiology, complex etiology involving genetic and environmental factors, and the specific challenges breastfeeding children with CLP and their mothers encounter. This review emphasizes the critical role of surgical interventions in CLP management, discussing the timing, techniques, and outcomes of these procedures. While surgical repair of CLP can enhance breastfeeding outcomes, it may also introduce temporary complications, including feeding difficulties, pain, and discomfort. Addressing these challenges requires a multidisciplinary approach involving healthcare professionals, specialized feeding equipment, emotional support, and targeted interventions. Moreover, the emotional well-being of mothers of infants with CLP is highlighted as an essential component of breastfeeding success. Maternal stress and emotional distress can hinder breastfeeding, emphasizing the importance of emotional support and counseling services. Successful breastfeeding in children with CLP is achievable with the right strategies and support systems, like comprehensive care, which acknowledges the complexity of CLP and emphasizes the need for a collaborative healthcare approach to ensure that children with CLP receive optimal nutrition and care during their critical early developmental stages.

Longitudinal Association Between Perceived Availability of Home- and Community-Based Services and All-Cause Mortality Among Chinese Older Adults: A National Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Home- and community-based services (HCBS) may contribute to lowering mortality and enhancing quality of life among older adults. Limited research, however, has examined this relationship in the Chinese context. This study explored the longitudinal association between perceived availability of HCBS and all-cause mortality among Chinese older adults. This cohort study included 8,102 individuals aged 65 years and older from the 2011, 2014, and 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. HCBS included daily life assistance, medical care services, emotional support and social services, and reconciliation and legal aid services. The association between perceived availability of HCBS and all-cause mortality was investigated using Cox proportional hazards models. Emotional support and social services were negatively associated with all-cause mortality (HR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.78 ~ 0.95, P = .004). Daily life assistance, medical care services, and reconciliation and legal aid services were not significantly associated with all-cause mortality. Providing community-level emotional support and social services may reduce the risk of death. Focusing on the mental health and social well-being of older adults is just as important as caring for their physical health.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of children with medical complexity: A qualitative study of caregivers' experiences.

Families of children with medical complexity (CMC) have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing challenges such as decreased access to services, increased financial hardship and increased isolation. However, there are few qualitative studies which explore parental experiences. The aim of the present study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of CMC. Caregivers of CMC were recruited from a large hospital in the Midwestern United States. They completed a semistructured qualitative interview assessing the impact of COVID-19 on their child's care, which was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Twenty caregivers who were predominantly White, married and female participated. Emergent themes included the importance of protecting their child's health to ensure their physical safety, greater social isolation and missed medical services related to concerns about exposure, clinic closures and/or other logistical changes. Participants noted that the convenience of telehealth was a positive outcome of COVID-19 that facilitated care while reducing time and resource challenges. This study highlights the importance of protecting the health of CMC through continued safe access to in-person or telehealth services. It is important to prioritise emotional support services for families of CMC as they have experienced increased stress and social isolation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This topic should be explored among diverse families with CMC across multiple healthcare systems.

"The place it puts us in emotionally and relationally with our child, it's damaging": understanding the real-world psychosocial needs of caregivers of childhood cancer survivors.

Understanding the lived experiences of childhood cancer caregivers can guide the development of effective psychosocial models of care. We conducted this qualitative study to understand triggers that impact the mental health, quality of life, and mental health supportive care needs of caregivers. A maximum variation sampling strategy was used to recruit study participants for semi-structured interviews. Using a grounded theory approach, transcripts were independently dual-coded using inductive thematic analysis. We conducted a secondary thematic analysis emphasizing the impact of pediatric oncology on caregiver mental health. Our findings highlight caregiver experiences connected to their child's appearance, quality of life, or change in behavior. Caregivers reported the need to transition between the role of nurturer and protector and simultaneously be part of the care team, which increased trauma for caregivers and their children. Caregivers noted that the hardest part of being a caregiver is witnessing, participating, and forcing the child to comply with cancer treatment. Caregivers were left wishing there had been more support for these situations. Our findings reveal real-world experiences that caregivers view as among the most stressful during their child's cancer journey. These events provide insight into the nuanced and most difficult experiences from the caregiver perspective in which emotional support services would be most useful. These insights will inform a future model for mental healthcare. Caregivers' treatment-related stress is associated with the quality of life of pediatric cancer patients. Supporting the mental health, quality of life, and mental health supportive care needs of childhood cancer caregivers through supportive care guidelines may positively impact the caregiver-child relationship long into survivorship.Children's and their caregivers' treatment-related stress are indelibly connected to the quality of life concerns throughout the cancer journey. Supporting the mental health, quality of life, and mental health supportive careneeds of childhood cancer caregivers through supportive care guidelines will positively impact the caregiver-child relationship long into survivorship.

The Role of Servant Leadership in Supporting the Health Workforce during COVID 19

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on healthcare workers worldwide. These individuals have been on the front lines, risking their health and safety to care for patients. However, the emotional toll of the pandemic cannot be overlooked. Healthcare workers are not only dealing with the physical demands of their jobs but also the psychological stress and anxiety that comes with caring for patients during a global crisis.
 Effective leadership is crucial in every organization, however, some organizations such as healthcare need leaders who are capable of inspiration and psychological safety. This is because health workers endure so much stress and anxiety resulting from the concerns and empathic connection with their clients.
 Servant leadership, an emerging leadership style, is particularly suitable during crises, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Servant leadership is a style that focuses on serving the needs of others and prioritizing their well-being. This leadership approach is particularly suited to the healthcare industry, where the well-being of patients and staff is of utmost importance. Servant leaders create a culture of psychological safety, where healthcare workers feel supported and valued. This includes ensuring that healthcare workers have access to personal protective equipment, providing emotional support and counselling services, and recognizing and appreciating their efforts.
 To put the effect of servant leadership into perspective, this article highlights some effects of COVID-19 on health workers and follows up to present a view on how servant leaders would mitigate the effects on the workers. Current and future managers of the healthcare system should undertake training on servant leadership to serve the workers well for the ultimate benefit of the organization.

Abstract PD8-07: The Changing Informational Needs of Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer: A National Needs Assessment

Abstract Background: Nearly 9% of new breast cancer diagnoses in the United States are in women under the age of 45. In 2012, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) conducted a four-phase needs assessment of young women diagnosed with breast cancer at or before age 45, which identified needs and service gaps in resources addressing the unique needs of this age group and explored how these women prefer to receive emotional support and breast cancer information. In 2020, LBBC conducted another assessment to better understand young women’s service preferences and information needs. The 2020 assessment focused specifically on demographic differences and targeted content areas, including sexual health and long-term impacts on physical and emotional health. Methods: An 88-item online questionnaire was administered via REDCap between August and September 2020. Inclusion criteria were women diagnosed with breast cancer at or before age of 45 who were living in the United States. The survey included questions about respondents’ experiences with treatment side effects, communication with their healthcare providers, and how they sought emotional support services, and breast cancer information. Questions centered on sexual, physical, and emotional health needs of respondents throughout their treatment journey. Special focus was placed on participants’ demographic information, including race/ethnicity, cancer stage, and time elapsed since diagnosis. Results: Overall, breast cancer diagnosis and treatment caused significant physical and emotional impacts on women diagnosed before age 45 (N=717), and a woman’s race/ethnicity, cancer stage, and time elapsed since diagnosis resulted in differences in their experiences. In addition, how a woman preferred to receive emotional support services and breast cancer information differed based on her race/ethnicity, and cancer stage. Many participants (64%) also reported significant impacts to their sexual health, yet their healthcare providers were unable to address those needs. Compared to women diagnosed at other stages, those diagnosed with stage III and stage IV breast cancer reported significantly higher percentages of problems with little or no interest in sex. How a woman preferred to receive emotional support services and breast cancer information differed based on her race/ethnicity, and cancer stage. The 2020 survey also showed that although eight years have passed since the original LBBC needs assessment, the percentage of young women reporting discussions about fertility with healthcare providers (48%) remain largely unchanged. Additionally, more respondents in the 2020 survey reported accessing genetic counseling (72%) and testing services (90%) than the 2012 survey participants, but in 2020, the data indicated significant disparities in both counseling and testing based on race/ethnicity. Conclusion: Young women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 45 reported several significant differences in service preferences and information needs based on race/ethnicity and cancer stage. While some aspects of the breast cancer experience have improved, there remain several gaps in care and survivorship needs, including sexual health. Informational materials and supportive programming may address these gaps by accounting for differences among the diversity of people diagnosed in this age group. Citation Format: Arin Hanson, Janine Guglielmino, Catherine Ormerod, Nicole Katze, Dede Teteh, Marissa Ericson. The Changing Informational Needs of Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer: A National Needs Assessment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr PD8-07.

Factors impacting on sexual function among men on active surveillance for prostate cancer.

Active surveillance (AS) aims to reduce overtreatment and minimize the negative side effects of radical therapies (i.e., prostatectomy or radiotherapy) while preserving quality of life. However, a substantial proportion of men can experience a decline in sexual function during AS follow-up. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of declining sexual function among men on AS. Men enrolled from 2008 to 2018 in the South Australian Prostate Cancer Clinical Outcomes Collaborative registry-a prospective clinical registry-were studied. Sexual function outcomes were measured using expanded prostate cancer index composite (EPIC-26) at baseline and 12-months postdiagnosis. Multivariable regression models adjusted for baseline score and other sociodemographic and clinical factors were applied to identify predictors of sexual function score at 12-months. A total of 554 men were included. Variables that showed significant association with decline in sexual function score at 12-months were: having two or more biopsies after diagnosis (mean change score (MCS): -16.3, p < 0.001) compared with no biopsy, higher number of positive biopsy cores (MCS: -1.6, p = 0.004), being in older age category (above 70 vs. below 60: MCS: -16.7, p < 0.001; 65-70 vs. below 60: MCS: -9.7, p = 0.024), having had depression (MCS: -9.0, p = 0.020), and impaired physical function (MCS: -10.0, p = 0.031). Greater socioeconomic advantage (highest vs. lowest quintile: MCS: 15.7, p = 0.022) and year of diagnosis (MCS: 2.6 for every year, p < 0.001) were positively associated with 12-months sexual function score. Neither biopsy type, biopsy timing nor PSA velocity were associated with declines in sexual function. Our findings suggest that multiple factors affected sexual function during AS. Interventions towardreducing the number of biopsies through less invasive monitory approaches, screening for physical and mental well-being, and targeted emotional support and counseling services may be helpful for men on AS.

Contributing Factors to the Burden on Primary Family Caregivers of Stroke Survivors in South Korea.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors associated with the burden on primary family caregivers of stroke patients at home without care services. For this study, the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation (KOSCO) data were used. Of the total 8010 caregivers, 1133 family caregiver burden was assessed with the shortened Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) 3 months after stroke. Patient and caregiver-related factors affecting the heavier burden of caregivers were identified by comparing the heavier caregiver burden group and the lighter caregiver burden group, which divided according to the CBI scores. The 719 (63.5%) family caregiver cared for patients at home without care services. Logistic regression analysis showed that four or more comorbidities (p = 0.002), neurological impairment at early onset (p < 0.001), dependence on daily life (p < 0.001), aphasia (p = 0.024), and depression(p < 0.001) were associated with a heavier burden of care. According to the shortened CBI, caregivers tended to be concerned more about psychological stress than physical strain. The findings suggest the importance of proactively guiding the emotional support services to caregivers who are at high risk of the heavier burden of patient care.