Need For Professional Counseling Research Articles

Psychological challenges of female caregivers in providing home-based palliative care for patients with advanced cancer: A descriptive-exploratory study.

Family caregivers play a key role in providing care for patients with advanced cancer. Most of this care burden is shouldered by female caregivers in the family. Compared to their male counterparts, female caregivers face numerous psychological challenges in the process of caregiving. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological challenges of female caregivers in providing care to patients with advanced cancer. This descriptive-exploratory study began with purposive sampling method in 2020-2021 in Isfahan and continued until data saturation was reached. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with female caregivers of patients with advanced cancer and 18 more interviews with providers of health services and supportive-palliative care. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. The results were classified into three categories. The first category was psychological reactions that included the four subcategories of depression and anxiety, aggression, mental exhaustion, and death anxiety; the second category was psychological needs which included the three subcategories of need for professional counseling, need for emotional support, and need to prepare for mourning; and the third category was mental occupations which consisted of the two subcategories of feeling of regret and remorse. Assessment of psychological challenges is a prerequisite for planning psychological interventions, providing high-quality care, and improving quality of life and satisfaction of caregivers. The findings of this study will contribute to the development of guidelines and empowerment programs for female caregivers providing palliative care.

Theory of Planned Behavior and Active Duty Air Force Members' Mental Health Help-Seeking.

Although military members often encounter significant atypical stressors while serving, many service members are still reluctant to seek mental health (MH) treatment. Help-seeking behavior for MH needs is a rising concern for active duty Air Force personnel. Conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse are just a few issues that military members deal with, but things like stigma, attitudes toward MH, and behavioral control might keep these individuals from seeking services. This study utilizes the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify better and understand barriers to the help-seeking behavior of active duty Air Force members. The 2017 Air Force Community Feedback Tool was used for this study. This confidential survey was completed by a large sample of the military population (N = 10,705). The survey was used to examine relationships between the TPB-related variables and respondents with mood problems identifying a need for professional counseling, seeking MH services, and reporting that the services met their needs. Multiple linear and binary logistic regression models were utilized to analyze findings from this sample. This study highlights how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control impact help-seeking behavior for these individuals. Findings include the MH providers' good reputations, wait times for services, ease of access to care, and negative experiences with supervisor permission, all of which showed a statistically significant impact on help-seeking behavior. Dependent variables included "I need professional counseling," "I contacted a MH care provider in the past year to try to meet this need," and "How much the MH care provider helped you meet your needs." Each of these variables had statistically significant relationships with the connecting variables of the TPB. Findings from this study reveal how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control play an essential role in an active duty Air Force member's decision to seek help for MH concerns. This study suggests that active duty military members are less concerned about the belief that seeking MH care could harm their reputations and more aware of the potential negative reputations of MH clinics. Finally, actionable steps are outlined to better support help-seeking behavior, which might be recommended to better train and encourage military leaders to address the MH needs of themselves and the members of their units.

Sexual, addiction and mental health care needs among men who have sex with men practicing chemsex - a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands.

Drug use during sex ('chemsex') has been associated with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and mental health harms. Little quantitative evidence exists on the health care needs of MSM practicing chemsex from a patient perspective. This study assessed self-perceived benefits and harms and the needs for professional counselling among MSM practicing chemsex. In 2018, 785 MSM were recruited at nine Dutch STI clinics and 511 (65%) completed the online questionnaire. Chemsex was defined as using cocaine, crystal meth, designer drugs, GHB/GBL, ketamine, speed and/or XTC/MDMA during sex <6months. Chemsex was reported by 41% (209/511), of whom 23% (48/209) reported a need for professional counselling. The most reported topic to discuss was increasing self-control (52%, 25/48). Most MSM preferred to be counselled by sexual health experts (56%, 27/48). The need for professional counselling was higher among MSM who engaged in chemsex ≥2 times per month (30% vs. 17%, p=0.03), did not have sex without drugs (sober sex) in the past three months (41% vs. 20%, p=0.04), experienced disadvantages of chemsex (28% vs. 15%, p=0.03), had a negative change in their lives due to chemsex (53% vs. 21%, p=0.002), and/or had an intention to change chemsex behaviours (45% vs. 18%, p<0.001). Our study shows that almost one in four MSM practicing chemsex expressed a need for professional counselling on chemsex-related issues. STI healthcare providers should assess the need for professional counselling in MSM practicing chemsex, especially in MSM with above mentioned characteristics, such as frequent users.

The Need for Psycho-Oncological Support in Breast Cancer Patients – A Longitudinal Study in an Outpatient- Setting

Objective: Breast cancer is frequently associated with psycho-oncological burden for the affected patients. Severity and temporal dimension are often not readily assessable, as many patients do not express their need for professional counseling. Monitoring usually ends together with the patients’ intensive medical cancer therapy. Thus, information on the longitudinal need for psycho-oncological support is limited. The aim of this questionnaire- based observational study was to identify breast cancer patients in need of psycho-oncological support and to monitor these patients in the long-term. Methods: A total of 94 patients treated in two oncological practices in Germany between May 2011 and July 2015 were included. 61 patients had primary breast cancer and 33 presented with recurrent/metastatic disease. To assess the patients’ burden, the standardized self-rating Questionnaire on Stress in Cancer Patients – short form (QSC-R10) was to be answered by each patient at different time points. Results: Of 41% (n=39) initially burdened patients treated either in a curative or in a palliative setting, 67% (n=26) still required psycho-oncological support at the time of the second survey. Conclusions: Psycho-oncological burden is common in breast cancer patients and the need for support persists over a long period of time. In the future, this temporal dimension has to be adequately addressed after the completion of their intensive medical cancer therapy. Thus, the long-term monitoring of cancer patients with the QSC-R10 is strongly recommended.

Experiences of Patients Diagnosed and Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer in Kumasi, Ghana: A Lesion to Learn From Low-Middle Income Country

Background: Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women in Ghana. About 50% of cases seen at the oncology directorate are breast cancer-related, and 85% of these cases present in advanced stage with very poor prognosis and high mortality. Objectives: To explore and describe the experiences of patients diagnosed and living with metastatic breast cancer. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study design was used to involved breast cancer patients at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital who comes from various social and ethnic groups as well as geographically distinct areas from the vast territory of the Ashanti region and the Northern part of Ghana. Convenient sampling was used to select 120 participants for the study using semistructured questionnaire. Data of their social and demographic background and experiences living with metastatic breast cancer were obtained after seeking informed consent. Results: The study revealed that 12% of participants diagnosed and living with metastatic breast cancer experience loneliness and devastated, 22% experience fear and anxiety, while 35% experience stigma from both family and the society. Moreover, feeling of anger and hopelessness also account for 15%, 11% experience financial changes, while 5% of participants experience both physical and emotional pain with their diagnosis and treatment. Recommendations were made for policy makers, health care professionals, and other researchers. These include the need for intensified metastatic breast cancer awareness campaigns, educating health care providers on the need for professional counseling on metastatic breast cancer and the need to organized support groups, so that patients could contact each other. Emphasis should be placed on training of nurses to deal with issues relating to metastatic breast cancer. Conclusion: Generally, fear and anxiety, stigma, feeling of loneliness, devastated, anger and hopelessness, emotional and physical pain and financial changes are the variables that explain the experiences of women diagnosed and living with metastatic breast cancer. Some support groups has shown an improvement, therefore efforts to raise public awareness of metastatic breast cancer should be continued. The current study became imperative to fill this identified gap and improve health interventions and health outcomes for metastatic breast cancer patients in future.

To know or not to know: A review of behaviour and suicidal ideation in preclinical Huntington's disease

Objective At present, the problems associated with suicidal ideation and suicide in Huntington's disease (HD), worldwide, are much the same as 2 decades ago. This study seeks to investigate the psychological complications of predictive testing in HD at risk populations. Methods The key problems of predictive testing, fear of acquiring carrier status, psychological consequences, autonomy, and rights to know are discussed. Results This review (1) describes psychological affect and problems of persons facing the decision to test for HD, (2) discusses suicidal ideation, behaviour, and catastrophic events associated with predictive testing, (3) assesses ethical questions raised in the genetic counselling, (4) questions whether counsellors should promote or advocate predictive testing, and finally (5) discusses what professionalism actually is in genetic counselling. Conclusion The need for professional counselling, using a well designed protocol, and the importance of focusing on the suicide risk of participants in predictive testing programs are emphasized. Practice implications The counsellor has an obligation to provide adequate information. The professionals should not promote nor advocate presymptomatic DNA-testing. Depression, hopelessness, anxiety, emotional distress, suicidal tendencies, and social dysfunction grading should be considered in predictive testing of HD.

The nurse as counselor.

Abstract It is commonly noted that persons with a need for professional counseling often choose indirect means of seeking such help. College students may present to the college health nurse with vague physical symptoms. Nurses have generally recognized competence in counseling due to their professional preparation. Beyond this, there are five basic requirements for competence for counseling college students: a bias for optimism; knowledge of key concepts; an investigative method; a perspective for college health nurses; and continuing education for nurse counselors. A need for counseling is a clinical judgment made by the nurse, and his/her response will be immediate situational counseling, continuing counseling sessions, or referral. Types of counseling situations that the nursing professional may encounter are outlined, including four escapes utilized by students, such as substance abuse, suicide, fear of AIDS, and anorexia/bulimia. Since students do utilize health services, the nurse counselor with a h...

Families under stress. The diagnosis of Hurler's syndrome.

Families of children who have certain inborn errors of metabolism are subjected to great stress and have need for professional counseling. Analysis of the adaptation of three families who had children with Hurler's syndrome reflects the problems encountered, as well as the influence of the families' individual strengths and values, and the effectiveness of supportive counseling programs.