Form Of Chronic Illness Research Articles

Effets de la pandémie de Covid-19 sur l’accès des personnes âgées aux soins de santé primaires dans la province d’Essaouira, Maroc

Older adults were among those who suffered most from the COVID-19 pandemic. In Morocco, where 64.4 percent of older adults suffer from a form of chronic illness, the main challenge facing local authorities was how to maintain essential care for this population group in the context of the pandemic. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults’ access to primary healthcare in the Essaouira Province (Morocco), with a view to ensuring the ongoing provision of healthcare for older adults during health emergencies. A longitudinal retrospective survey was conducted from October to December 2021 based on a structured questionnaire with a sample of 196 people aged sixty and above. The data obtained were compiled and analyzed using SPSS software (version 20.0). The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected older adults’ access to primary healthcare. Older adults’ use of primary healthcare services fell by 51.6 percent during the pandemic compared with the same periods in previous years. In addition, the measures taken to control the pandemic have had a negative impact on the quality of services offered to the survey participants. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant changes in the operation of primary healthcare for older populations. The findings of this study provide a basis for anticipatory actions to improve the ongoing provision of healthcare for older adults in the context of health emergencies.

Predictor of depression and anxiety among caregivers of hospitalized patients with mental illness

Purpose The study aims to identify the predictors of depression and anxiety among carers of hospitalized patients with mental illness in Eradah Complex for Mental Health Hospital. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive correlational study design was conducted using a convenient sample of family carers of patients with mental illness (N = 216). The study used the Beck Depression Inventory and Anxiety Inventory scales. Findings The results of regression models revealed that the socio-demographic characteristics of the family carers showed that age is a statistically significant predictor of family carers depression and anxiety scores. In addition, the age of the family carers explained 36% of the variance in the family carers depression and anxiety scores, while marital status explained 64% of the total variance in the family carers’ depression and anxiety scores. Furthermore, having received support in caring significantly predicted depression and anxiety scores, and this was the case for occupation status and being diagnosed with any form of chronic illness. Practical implications Based on the findings of this study, the authors opine that evaluations of carers’ cognitive strategies and social support are needed to determine the risk of depression in carers of mental patients. Originality/value This study is the one of the limited studies conducted in Saudi Arabia to identify predictor of depression and anxiety among caregivers of hospitalized patients with mental illness. The study has used a validated scales to assess the main study outcomes.

College Students and Class Attendance: How Poverty and Illbeing Affect Student Success through Punitive Attendance Policies

This study examines the prevalence of poverty and illbeing among students attending a large urban university and investigates how these challenges affect attendance, including how failure to meet attendance requirements may negatively influence course outcomes for these students. Through an anonymous survey, 520 students responded to questions asking about professor inflexibility, food insecurity, housing insecurity, depression, anxiety, and chronic illness. Over half of survey respondents reported having some degree of food and housing insecurity, and over half reported having anxiety, depression, or chronic illness. A multiple regression analysis demonstrated that punitive attendance policies disproportionally impact students living in poverty and those who experience anxiety, depression, or other forms of chronic illness. Several students reported that inflexible attendance policies have led them to a lowered grade, course failure, or course withdrawal to avoid failure, even when they otherwise had a passing grade. Examining professorial power through French and Raven’s six power bases, I invite faculty to think about the ways in which their power intersects with students and the opportunities that course policies provide to actively contribute to social mobility for students facing opportunity gaps.

The thin line. Cancer in the 21st century

Diagnosis, treatment and even the very concept of cancer as a disease have changed significantly over time. From a single and incurable disease, it is now considered a disease in which many predisposing factors come into play, and which is curable in a high percentage of cases (over 50%) or, if incurable, takes the form of chronic illness.

Health Rights Impacts by Agrochemical Business: Legally Challenging the “Myth of Safe Use”

The past decades have seen enormous growth in the agrochemical industry. Its pesticides and fertilisers promise to farmers worldwide an increase in yields and a decrease in labour input. The expansion of the pesticides industry results in tremendous costs to others – in the form of chronic illness, acute injuries, and environmental degradation. Such costs are borne disproportionately by farm and plantation workers in the Global South due to a perilous combination of weak regulation, lack of training and access to information, and meager resources for protective equipment. Agrochemical companies continue to claim that their products are safe when used correctly by farmers and regulated effectively by the state. Advocates have attempted to use litigation as a recourse for challenging the agrochemical industry. Civil litigation against pesticides manufacturers can directly address the injuries suffered from pesticide poisoning, but such lawsuits face a number of challenges and all too often leave workers and farmers without access to an effective remedy. This article explores the potential of complementary litigation which challenges the harmful sales practices of pesticide companies, as well as the precautionary principle, as an alternative to protect pesticide users against hazards.

Yoga Therapy in Japan.

This perspective piece gives an overview of the current situation of yoga therapy in Japan today. Traditional yoga in Japan suffered a serious setback in 1995 with a nerve gas terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway, which was carried out by a cult that recruited members through yoga classes. But with the increase in popularity with modern forms of yoga such as Iyengar yoga, Ashtanga yoga and hot yoga in the West, the general public in Japan today is forgetting its aversion to yoga and considers it to be something that can contribute to good health. In 2012, the Japan Yoga Therapy Society (JYTS) conducted a study on adverse events in yoga classes throughout Japan with the University of Kyushu School of Medicine, with support from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This study indicated that more than half of people attending yoga classes have some form of chronic illness, with 42.3% receiving outpatient care. This survey was the beginning of growing interest from both the government and universities in yoga therapy. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. This perspective piece introduces some of the developments in yoga therapy research and practice in Japan.

Yoga Therapy in Japan

This perspective piece gives an overview of the current situation of yoga therapy in Japan today. Traditional yoga in Japan suffered a serious setback in 1995 with a nerve gas terrorist attack on the Tokyo subway, which was carried out by a cult that recruited members through yoga classes. But with the increase in popularity with modern forms of yoga such as Iyengar yoga, Ashtanga yoga and hot yoga in the West, the general public in Japan today is forgetting its aversion to yoga and considers it to be something that can contribute to good health. In 2012, the Japan Yoga Therapy Society (JYTS) conducted a study on adverse events in yoga classes throughout Japan with the University of Kyushu School of Medicine, with support from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This study indicated that more than half of people attending yoga classes have some form of chronic illness, with 42.3% receiving outpatient care. This survey was the beginning of growing interest from both the government and universities in yoga therapy. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. JYTS is beginning to make inroads into bringing yoga therapy into cancer and palliative care, senior citizen homes, alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, cardiovascular rehabilitation, and research on trauma and schizophrenia. While there are still limited opportunities for yoga therapists to work in mainstream healthcare services, there is growing interest among medical professionals in both physical and mental health. This perspective piece introduces some of the developments in yoga therapy research and practice in Japan.

Tobacco Use and Attachment Style in Appalachia

ABSTRACTTobacco has been recognized as the number one cause of preventable death in America and results in almost 5.2 million years of potential life lost each year. The use of tobacco products is highly correlated with pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and other forms of chronic illness in America. New tobacco products are trending in the tobacco market such as the water pipe/hookah and e-cigarettes. With e-cigarettes and other newer forms of tobacco on the rise, it is important to look at the underlying factors for using all kinds of tobacco products as a means of prevention. Certain adult attachment styles (secure, preoccupied, dismissing-avoidant, and fearful-avoidant) in emotionally meaningful relationships could be indicators for physical illness, mental illness, and even addiction. This study investigated whether or not there is a relationship between tobacco use and attachment style. Based on a university-wide survey that was sent out at a university in Appalachia with 522 participants, demographic data revealed 68.5% (n = 358) did not currently use tobacco products. Of those who did currently use tobacco products 54.5% (n = 90) were male, 84.8% (n = 140) were undergraduate students, and 66.7% (n = 110) were between the ages of 18-25. For individuals who used tobacco 23.5% (n = 38) were in the secure attachment group, 27.8% (n = 45) were in the dismissing-avoidant attachment group, 30.2% (n = 49) were in the fearful-avoidant attachment group, and 18.5% (n = 30) were in the preoccupied attachment group. Chi Square analysis demonstrated that attachment style was significantly (p < 0.001) different between tobacco users and non-users revealing that there is a possibility for prevention of smoking initiation through the development of a secure attachment style.

Perspectives sur l’expérience psychique de la transplantation et de l’implantation

ObjectivesThe paper focuses on the subjective aspect of patients’ experiences when undergoing organ transplantation or implantation of cardiac prostheses (ICD, Heart Mate II). This issue has become relevant because the technical side of the procedure easily overshadows the personal process of integrating a new organ or device. The study was not intended to establish psychiatric diagnoses. MethodThe paper reviews various mental scenarios derived from clinical assessments of patients whose various mental representations associated with their experiences were elicited. Our protocol provides for each patient undergoing these surgical procedures to be systematically seen and followed according to their needs. ResultsThe mental scenarios were assigned to four different groups identified according to various moments in patient itineraries. The first group concerns patients waiting for a transplant; the second concerns reactions during the immediate postoperative period; the third concerns long-term adjustment after surgery. The last group is related to reactions after the implantation of cardiac devices. The scenarios observed reflect the personal experience of some patients, but did not necessarily apply to all cases. DiscussionThese scenarios are distinct from immediate reactions occurring at very early stages in each phase. The psychic integration of a transplant develops alongside the impingements of external reality. Scenarios enable the patient to fit the surgical experience into his or her own thread of life and psychic reality. This integration is necessary because transplantation or implantation are a new form of chronic illness. ConclusionThis paper has a heuristic aim, since psychic integration is subject to tension between two opposing forces. The first of these is the external pole of adaptation geared to managing material reality, where coping is a rational process; the second is the internal pole of accommodation, geared to manage psychic reality, where external reality is shaped to fit emotions so as to avoid anxiety. These scenarios attempt to integrate both forces in order to give meaning to the surgical experience and integrate it into the broader thread of the patient's life.

Mastering Each New Direction (MEND): A Biopsychosocial Intervention for Pediatric Chronic Illness

It is estimated that 30% of all school-aged children suffer from some form of chronic illness (Pai & Ostendorf, 2011). Unfortunately, compared to the general population, children with chronic illne...

Pharmacological and Nonpharmacological therapies in the Management of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetes :A Comprehensive Review

Diabetes is a form of chronic illness usually requiring glycemic monitoring, self-management education and support to prevent acute complications and to reduce the risk of long-term complications. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) implies damage or loss of function of the peripheral nerves. Though there are a number of theories trying to postulate the exact mechanism for DPN, still there remains a dearth in literature as to the exact cause for DPN. Two main problems can result from loss or damage to the sensory nerve fibers. The first problem is loss of the sensation for pain. This increases the likelihood of ulcers in diabetic population. The second problem is a small fiber dysfunction seen in DPN which exhibits itself clinically as heightened sensation of pain and burning sensations that can be quite uncomfortable for the patient suffering from type 2 diabetes. This review discusses about the available pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies for glycemic control and management of painful (small fiber dysfunction) neuropathy in type 2 diabetes. Key Words: Drug therapy, pharmacological therapy, pathogenesis, Diabetic peripheral neuropathy, exercise, diet. Key Message: Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy is a debilitating disease in type 2 disease. A need for early comprehensive management is emphasized using both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy to reduce the complications in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Stress-Related Problems

Many parents who have children suffering from some form of chronic illness or mental disorder may experience chronic stress reactions of various types. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proved to be effective in reducing stress-related problems, but there seems to be no study to date in which CBT has been tested on this specific parent group. Two case studies were therefore performed. Case 1 centered on a 47-year-old married woman, who has lived in Sweden for 12 months. She described how she had become increasingly exhausted, and she wanted help to find strategies enabling her to cope with everyday life. Case 2 featured a 45-year-old single mother, who had been on part-time sick leave due to depression and stress. She described how she had always been anxious and worried and had had two episodes of depression. Both women had sons diagnosed with autism/Asperger syndrome. One of the women met the criteria for pathological burnout, while the other woman was just below the limit. The focus of the therapy for both women was on exhaustion, depression, and sleeping difficulties. In addition, therapy in Case 1 involved under-stimulation and in Case 2, anxiety. When the therapy ended, genuine improvements were registered for both clients. The results show that CBT can be an effective treatment of symptoms for this group of parents so that they can provide adequate support to their children, thus facilitating everyday life for a child with a chronic illness or disorder.

Thinking positively about chronic illness: An exploration of optimism, illness perceptions and well‐being in patients with Parkinson's disease

Holding positive beliefs about illness and having an optimistic outlook have been associated with increased well-being across a range of health conditions. However, research has indicated that being very optimistic may not actually be beneficial, and holding a realistic attitude is more adaptive in some forms of chronic illness, for example, Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to explore the nature of relationships between illness perceptions, optimism and well-being: specifically, whether a linear or non-linear relationship best described the data. Additionally, the proposed moderating effect of optimism on the relationship between illness perceptions and well-being was tested. A total of 109 participants with idiopathic PD completed questionnaire measures of illness perception, optimism, mood and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Multiple regression analyses were used to explore relationships between illness perceptions, optimism, mood and HRQoL. The potential curvilinear effects of illness perceptions and optimism were modelled using squared variables and linear and quadratic curve estimation. Holding positive illness perceptions predicted better well-being. Some evidence for a non-linear relationship between optimism and mood was found. Optimism had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between specific illness perceptions and outcome. Optimism appears to provide protection against some negative perceptions of illness and was associated with better mood and HRQoL. The findings indicate that specific illness perceptions may be beneficial targets for therapy. Therapeutic interventions should focus on enhancing positive perceptions of PD but potentially more importantly general optimistic attitude to maximize well-being. What is already known on this subject? Positive illness perceptions and high optimism are associated with better well-being in a range of conditions, both chronic and acute. Preliminary studies suggest that in chronic degenerative diseases, marked positive optimism confers no additional benefit over medium levels of optimism for well-being and is associated with less use of adaptive coping. What does this study add? Optimism moderates the effects of specific negative illness perceptions on well-being in Parkinson's disease. No evidence was found that unrealistic positive illness perceptions are detrimental to well-being. Adaptive illness perceptions may be condition specific.

Say ‘trouble’s gone’: chronic illness and employability in job training programmes

The concept of biographical disruption has unique relevance for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups who participate in entry-level job training programmes. In these programmes trainees often suffer from various forms of chronic illness and must arrange these illnesses into a picture of employability. In this article I use ethnographic data and narrative analysis to examine closely two trainees' illness-related experiences, expressions and talk, and find that their ability to present their illnesses in ways that are consistent with programmatic goals is strongly influenced by family support, responsibilities and roles, as well as particular aspects of illness, like the interpretability of symptoms. I also find that the concept of biographical disruption has a curious traction in the world of job training, particularly among job training programme staff who would like to see trainees mobilise a variety of resources to help manage their illness. However, for trainees, many of whom have lived with chronic illness for years, the concept of biographical disruption may be more limited as a tool for understanding the experiences of illness. A more meaningful disruptive force in the lives of trainees appears to be the programme itself and the strategies for dealing with illness that programme staff may extend.

Framing Cardiovascular Health for Rural Populations: Community, Innovation, Evidence-Based Practice, and Technology

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. More than twice as many deaths occur due to cardiovascular disease as for all types of cancers combined. Nationally, every year approximately 16 million cases of coronary heart disease are reported (AHRQ, 2005). In 2005 the total cost for all forms of CVD was an astounding $448.5 billion. Furthermore, CVD is associated with many forms of chronic illness which add to the cost and decrease quality of life (AHRQ, 2005).For these reason CVD has received much attention in health research and health policy arenas (Krumholz et al., 2009; Peterson et al., 2007; Yusuf, Reddy, &amp; Anand, 2002). Findings from studies indicate an overall reduction of heart disease risk and mortality in the past three decades (AHA, 2005). While the amount of research noted throughout the literature is overwhelming and heart disease mortality has fallen, heart disease continues to be the single largest killer of men and women in the United States with continuing evidence of variations and disparities that are yet unexplained.

Perceived Barriers to Self-Management in Malaysian Women with Breast Cancer

Naturalistic inquiry using focus group interviews was undertaken to explore experiences and perceived barriers to self management in women with breast cancer. The aim was to identify their perceived barriers to self management to aid the development of rehabilitation programmes. Successful programmes are strongly linked to patients' perceived needs. Four focus groups consisted of 39 women, were purposively recruited. Women's needs within the three areas of medical, emotional and role management of breast cancer were explored. The main barriers were unavailability of information, inability to access services-and-support, and socioeconomic-cultural issues (entrenched myths, low-socioeconomic status, and inadequate insurance-health legislative coverage). The findings provide the critically lacking 'expert-view' of survivors, who verified the importance of the medical, emotional and role management tasks, and highlighted barriers and structural solutions. With breast cancer becoming recognised as a form of chronic illness, this study is timely.

Adaptation of the child and family to life with a chronic illness

Chronic illness in a child produces stress for both the child with the illness and the family of which he or she is a part.1 Today, it is estimated that greater than one-tenth of children are living with some form of chronic illness or condition.2–3 Faced with this stress, children and families are required to adapt to potential physical, emotional, social, and financial challenges. Professionals providing health care have an opportunity to influence how children and families interpret and adapt to these challenges. Guidance can be drawn from the multiple theoretical perspectives that have explored the process of adaptation to chronic illness.

Development and Use of an Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Protocol

Counseling centers have been challenged to effectively treat the growing number of college students who struggle with disordered eating. In response to this critical issue, the authors have developed an Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Protocol (EDATP) to assist clinical disposition in the counseling center setting and identify treatment guidelines within a coordinated care approach. Practical applications of the EDATP and future research that can assess its clinical utility are addressed. Counseling centers have been challenged to effectively treat the growing number of students on university campuses who struggle with disordered eating. Among female adolescents ages 15-19, the age group representing high school into early college years, eating disorders have become the third most common form of chronic illness (Reijonen, Pratt, Patel, & Greydanus, 2003). In addition, several surveys (e.g., Gallagher, Golin, & Kelleher, 1992; Miller & Rice, 1993; Schwitzer, Berghold, Dore, & Salimi, 1998) have noted the high incidence of eating disorders and eating-related problems on campus. This subgroup of college students who present with severe disordered eating deserves special consideration, especially given the interaction between the college experience and the developmental nature of many eating disorders (e.g., Barth, 2003; Klein & Walsh, 2003). Challenges related to negotiating increased autonomy along with the stressful demands of college life can precipitate disordered eating behaviors. Eating disorders have a high comorbidity with other serious concerns, such as child sexual abuse and substance abuse (KashubeckWest & Mintz, 2001), complicating initial presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. For example, clients with disordered eating often present initially with other concerns, admitting and exploring the full extent of their caring issues only after a trusting relationship is established. In their review of eating disorders, Klein and Walsh (2003) defined anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) as the most widely recognized eating disorders and acknowledged the more recently identified phenomenon of binge caring disorder (BED). These patterns of eating behaviors, in addition to eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS), are the primary diagnostic categories for disordered eating found in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). The DSM-IV-TR identifies the core feature of AN as the refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight combined with an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. It is estimated that the lifetime prevalence of AN among American women is 0.5%. AN typically develops during adolescence or young adulthood and rarely develops prior to puberty. BN is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, combined with compensatory behaviors such as vomiting or overexercise. The lifetime prevalence for BN has been estimated at 1%-3% of women in the United States. BN also typically develops during late adolescence or early adulthood, often following episodes of dieting (Klein & Walsh, 2003). EDNOS refers to disorders of eating that fail to meet the criteria for AN or BN, such as meeting the weight loss requirements for AN but continuing to menstruate or lower frequency periods of binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors than is found with BN. BED, identified by the DSM-IV-TR as a provisional diagnosis in need of further study, represents episodes of binge eating without compensatory behaviors. Given the seriousness and prevalence of these forms of disordered eating, the University of Utah Counseling Center (UCC) formed the Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Team (EDATT). The mission of the EDATT was to clarify and improve clinical services for eating disordered clients and to provide a structure for data gathering and decision making related to whom the counseling center can serve and under what conditions. …

Community models of mental care warrant more governmental support

Although developed countries are relatively well resourced there is an unmet demand for mental health services, particularly for anxiety disorders and depression. A similar and escalating demand exists for services...

Health E-types?

This paper presents a simple typology of different forms of engagement with the Internet by families with children with various forms of chronic illness. The analysis is informed by ongoing debates about the nature, distribution and efficacy of reflexivity in contemporary social life, especially as it relates to the changing nature of information and knowledge. Drawing upon qualitative interviews with sixty-nine parents and sixteen children, the paper offers a nuanced account of the manner in which laypeople are engaging with e- health. It is an account that argues that any reading of the 'digital divide' that is based upon a simple homology between socio-structural location, reflexivity and differential ability to gain material purchase from information in the 'information age' is misjudged.