Psychosocial Support Research Articles

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Forcibly Displaced People: Insights From Slovenia

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Forcibly Displaced People: Insights From Slovenia

The Role of Social Workers at the Social Department of Kendari City in Psychosocial Recovery of Child Victims of Sexual Violence

This study aims to understand and find out the role of workers in psychosocial assistance for children victims of sexual violence at the Kendari City Social Departement. Qualitative descriptive methods are used to describe social situations related to the role and stages of mentoring. The research informants were selected through purposive sampling, including social workers, psychologists, victims' children, and parents. The data in this study was obtained through interviews, observations and documentation studies, the data obtained was then analyzed qualitatively with an interactive model consisting of data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawn. The results of the study show that the psychological rehabilitation of child victims of sexual abuse involves several important phases. Educational programs on recovery and mental health help children understand and manage the psychological impact of experienced violence. Social support from family, friends, and the community is also crucial in the healing process, making children feel welcome and supported. Social workers act as mediators, educators, and motivators in this process. They help children cope with the adverse effects of their experiences, establish safe communication, and formulate effective recovery plans. In addition, social workers provide information to the community about the psychological impact of sexual violence and help children learn good coping mechanisms. This psychosocial support typically results in a noticeable improvement in the physical and mental health of the victim's children, allowing them to recover from trauma, improve mental health, and rebuild positive social relationships.

Diagnosis and Management of Hair Loss in Pediatric

Background: Hair loss can occur in pediatric and adult populations and may have different patterns. The causes of hair loss in pediatric patients include tinea capitis, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, traction alopecia, anagen effluvium, androgenetic alopecia, loose anagen syndrome, short anagen syndrome, congenital aplasia cutis, congenital triangular alopecia, atrichia congenita, congenital hypotrichosis, and transient neonatal hair loss.Purpose: to understand etiologies of hair loss in pediatrics, and to determine the appropriate examinations for diagnosing and managing hair loss in children.Review: Hair loss in children can be categorized as congenital or acquired. Congenital hair loss is classified based on distribution, while acquired hair loss is classified as either scarring or non-scarring. Hair loss complications in children can be irreversible. The diagnosis of hair loss in pediatric patients includes anamnesis, physical examination, and supporting examinations. The supporting examinations used for diagnosis include fungal cultures, hair pull tests, hair tug tests, light microscopy, and trichoscopy. Conclusion: There are numerous causes of hair loss in pediatric patients that need to be identified before appropriate management can be implemented. The management of hair loss requires a holistic approach, including psychosocial support. Correct diagnosis and treatment of pediatric hair loss can prevent a decrease in the patient's quality of life.

CASE MANAGEMENT IN THE CASES OF PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME

Divorce is a rather difficult process for both children and parents. After separation or divorce, the child may reject one of the parents, s/he may typically strongly object seeing one parent or may not want to go to that parent. This rejection may be for normal or acceptable reasons, or the child’s “alienation” against the parent may be the reason. Defined as Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), this case is actually a form of emotional abuse. This process can be carried out in a healthy manner by ensuring coordination among the court, treatment providers, children and families; that is, case management. Child abuse is related to multiple disciplines in terms of causes and consequences. Hospital-based, multidisciplinary teams meet the legal, psychosocial support, and treatment needs of the abused child in a holistic approach. There are views on PAS, stating that it is a syndrome or just alienation. The ongoing discussions about it do not change the fact that there is a clinical situation affecting the children and parents. In this study, it is aimed to create a roadmap for the evaluation of these cases, by presenting the examples where the reports, which has been prepared at the end of the process evaluated at a hospital-based Child Protection Centre and conducted with case management, have affected the Court’s decision. In PAS cases, separate works carried out with a multi-disciplinary, holistic approach by multiple professionals can be conducted at a low cost with a case management by the coordination of a social worker at the team. The reports submitted to the courts will include the evaluations of all the professionals in the team and will transparently and clearly highlight the common decision that is made in line with the child’s primary benefit. The reports prepared in this way will affect the decisions of the Court and the victimization of children and parents will be prevented.

The faces of Long-COVID: interplay of symptom burden with socioeconomic, behavioral and healthcare factors.

The long-term effects of COVID-19 (Long COVID) include 19 symptoms ranging from mild to debilitating. We examined multidimensional correlates of Long COVID symptom burden. This study focused on participants who reported having had COVID in Spring 2023 (n = 656; 85% female, mean age = 55, 59% college). Participants were categorized into symptom-burden groups using Latent Profile Analysis of 19 Long-COVID symptoms. Measures included demographics; quality of life and well-being (QOL); and COVID-specific stressors. Bivariate and multivariate associations of symptom burden were examined. A three-profile solution reflected low, medium, and high symptom burden, aligning with diagnosis confirmation and treatment by a healthcare provider. Higher symptom burden was associated with reporting more comorbidities; being unmarried, difficulty paying bills, being disabled from work, not having a college degree, younger age, higher body mass index, having had COVID multiple times, worse reported QOL, greater reported financial hardship and worry; maladaptive coping, and worse healthcare disruption, health/healthcare stress, racial-inequity stress, family-relationship problems, and social support. Multivariate modeling revealed that financial hardship, worry, risk-taking, comorbidities, health/healthcare stress, and younger age were risk factors for higher symptom burden, whereas social support and reducing substance use were protective factors. Long-COVID symptom burden is associated with substantial, modifiable social and behavioral factors. Most notably, financial hardship was associated with more than three times the risk of high versus low Long-COVID symptom burden. These findings suggest the need for multi-pronged support in the absence of a cure, such as symptom palliation, telehealth, social services, and psychosocial support.

A qualitative study of individuals with acquired brain injury’ and program facilitators’ experiences in virtual acquired brain injury community support programs

Purpose Acquired brain injury (ABI) community support programs aim to help support long-term needs through informational and psychosocial support. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many support programs adopted virtual program delivery. However, the experiences of facilitators and people with ABI who participate in virtual support programs are understudied. This study aimed to describe the experiences of people with ABI and program facilitators participating in virtual ABI community support programs. Materials and Methods This was a qualitative descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with ABI and program facilitators who participated in virtual ABI community support programs. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results In total, 16 participants were included in this study. Of the 16 participants, 14 were people with ABI (three of whom were also program facilitators) and two were program facilitators without ABI. Our analysis generated three themes including perceived benefits (theme 1), perceived challenges (theme 2), and considerations to improve program quality (theme 3). Each theme outlines subthemes relaying the experiences of participants. Conclusions These findings highlight the need for stakeholders to implement guidelines and training for program facilitators and attendees of virtual ABI support programs to maximize accessibility, usability, inclusivity and safety. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION This study described the experiences of people with acquired brain injury and facilitators who participated in virtual support programs. Benefits of virtual support programs include connecting with peers, increased access to resources, and enhanced feasibility and accessibility. Difficulties with virtual support programs include intrapersonal (e.g., increased side effects), interpersonal (e.g., communication barriers), and environmental and contextual (e.g., privacy concerns) challenges. Suggestions to improve program quality include creating a safe and respectful environment, fostering engagement and managing challenging situations, and enhancing accessibility and inclusivity.

Formulating parents' feelings: Analyzing parent-nurse conversations in family-integrated neonatal care to develop communication training

ObjectiveThe novel concept of Family-Integrated Care (FICare) requires nurses to be parents' partners in neonatal care. We combined analyses of real-life parent-nurse conversations and interviews to elucidate nurses' role in providing psychosocial support to parents. Findings inform the development of communication training on topicalizing parents' feelings. MethodsConversation analysis of 15 audio-recorded parent-nurse conversations, and thematic analysis of interviews with 2 nurses. ResultsIn parent-nurse conversations, nurses showed a “balancing act” in formulating parents' feelings, revealing the complexities of addressing parents' feelings. Overall, parents confirmed nurses' formulations, but also expanded or modified them, or indicated restricted conversational space. In the interviews, nurses discussed four purposes of conversations with parents, emphasizing elaborating on parents' feelings, while discussing associated challenges. ConclusionOur conversation analysis revealed a continuum of nurses' formulations of parents' feelings, and nurses' reflections illuminated how and when the formulations were used to invite parents' “feelings talk”. InnovationThis study is the first to use conversation analysis to analyze parent-nurse conversations. Additionally, it pioneers combining these analyses with interviews, inviting nurses to reflect on how to incorporate the findings into FICare. This combination strongly informs the development of tailored communication training, drawing from real-life conversations and nurses' articulated needs.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety among patients recovered from COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal

IntroductionCOVID-19 has immensely affected the mental health of all people with prominent effects among the COVID-19 survivors who underwent hospitalisation. The evidence of the long-term mental health implications among the...

Homecare amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): A multidisciplinary, home-based model of care for patients with ALS and their caregivers.

Multidisciplinary care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is recommended in international guidelines, but reaches its limits when immobility increases. This pilot project addresses this gap by delivering home-based, specialized, multiprofessional support to ALS patients who are not able to attend outpatient care. The study assessed the feasibility of this model of care and the satisfaction of both patients and caregivers. This was a longitudinal cohort study of patients with ALS and their caregivers in the surroundings of Munich, Germany. Patients were regularly visited at home by a multiprofessional team (neurologists/palliative care physicians, nurse, social worker, chaplain). A total of 94 patients with ALS were included in the homecare project and 88 patients and 74 caregivers were enrolled in the accompanying study. The mean care duration was 221 days, enabling 61% of the 49 deceased patients to die at home. Notably, 20% of patients chose a way to hasten death. Patient satisfaction (ICECAP Supportive Care Measure [SCM]: 23.7/28, CollaboRATE: 10.6/12) and caregiver perception of the end-of-life phase (Caregiver Evaluation of the Quality of End-Of-Life Care [CEQUEL]: 24.9/26) were high. This pilot project successfully implemented specialized, home-based multidisciplinary care for ALS patients and caregivers, demonstrating both feasibility and high satisfaction. The program enabled a large proportion of patients to remain in their homes, reducing the need for hospital care. The multiprofessional approach, including neuropalliative, psychosocial and spiritual support provided comprehensive care that addressed needs of patients and caregivers. Further research is warranted to explore cost-effectiveness.

Acceptability and usability of a nurse-assisted remote patient monitoring intervention for the post-hospital follow-up of patients with long-term illness: A qualitative study

BackgroundPatients living with long-term chronic illnesses often need ongoing medical attention, lifestyle adjustments, and psychosocial support beyond the initial diagnosis and treatment phases. Many experience illness deterioration and subsequently require hospitalisation, especially in the transition period after hospital discharge. A promising strategy for managing long-term conditions is promoting self-management. eHealth interventions involving remote patient monitoring have the potential to promote self-management and offer a more seamless bridge between the hospital and the patient´s home environment. However, such interventions can only significantly impact health and health care if they are effective, accepted and adopted by users, normalised into routine practice and everyday life, and able to be widely implemented. Feasibility studies are used to determine whether an intervention is suitable for the target population and effective in achieving its intended goal. They may also provide critical information about an intervention´s acceptability and usability. ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate the acceptability and usability of a nurse-assisted remote patient monitoring intervention for the post-hospital follow-up of patients with long-term illnesses by use of the core constructs of normalisation process theory. DesignA descriptive and explanatory qualitative approach was used, with patients observed during training and semi-structured interviews conducted with patients and nurses after study completion. SettingsParticipants were recruited from two university hospitals in Norway between December 2021 and February 2023. ParticipantsTen patients were observed during training, and 27 patients and eight nurses were interviewed after study completion. MethodsStructured and overt observations were made while the patients received training to operate the remote patient monitoring service, guided by an observation guide. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and nurse navigators about their experiences of remote follow-up care, guided by open ended questions. Data analysis followed a stepwise deductive inductive method. Results`Achieving acceptance and usability through digital social interaction´ emerged as a unifying theme that bridged the experiences of patients with long-term illnesses and the nurse navigators. This overarching theme was illustrated by four sub-themes, which all reflected the usability and acceptability of the nurse-assisted remote patient monitoring service in various ways. ConclusionAcceptability and usability are critical factors to consider when evaluating remote patient monitoring interventions. In this study, the most important feature for promoting acceptability and usability was the interaction between patients and nurse navigators. Therefore, the intervention´s feasibility and implementation potential rested upon the relationship between its deliverer and receiver.

Implementation of trauma-informed care strategies in a comprehensive maternal-fetal care center.

To identify traumatic stress symptoms among expectant parents with a confirmed congenital anomaly and describe the ways in which a maternal-fetal care center, with an embedded multidisciplinary psychosocial support team, provides specific trauma-informed strategies to mitigate psychological distress from the first patient contact throughout prenatal care practice. Traumatic stress symptoms in response to the confirmed congenital anomaly were assessed using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. With Institutional Review Board approval, a total of 4,391 pregnant parents and 3,570 partners were analyzed based on routine universal screening performed in a single maternal-fetal care center. Exploratory, descriptive analyses examined rates of overall traumatic stress symptoms and subscale scores. 28.7% of pregnant parents and 24.2% of expectant partners reported elevated traumatic stress symptoms in response to their confirmed congenital anomaly, with clinically significant risk endorsed among 16.2% and 13.4%, respectively. Symptoms of intrusion and avoidance were most notable among parents. Methods of trauma-informed care provided by the multidisciplinary care team in collaboration with the psychosocial support team to identify, support, and intervene with high-risk parents are described. Recognizing that expectant parents who receive a prenatal diagnosis of a congenital anomaly are at heightened risk for experiencing traumatic stress symptoms, multidisciplinary care teams should offer trauma-informed strategies and psychosocial support services, including parental mental health screening, psychosocial assessment, and clinical intervention, as part of routine prenatal care to reduce the negative effect of emotional distress in the expectant parents prior to birth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Men's baldness stigma: A mixed methods international survey.

Men's baldness can be structurally stigmatized. For example, commercialized psychology research medicalizes it as a distressing "disease." A mixed-methods survey on baldness stigma among 357 balding men (49% from Central- and South- America, Africa, Asia) was conducted. Qualitative and quantitative responses were content analyzed into two approximate sets: those (1) impacted by baldness stigma versus (2) those resisting baldness stigma. (1) The former included about half who had internalized baldness stigma agreeing it was disadvantageous (44%) and reporting distress (39-45% e.g. "[I] dread the future"). Participants reported baldness was stigmatized structurally (68%; e.g. "[it's a] humiliating image") and were attempting to combat their baldness largely via "treatments" (57%). (2) The latter participant response set resisted baldness stigma by reporting minimal distress, and structural stigma whilst accepting baldness (33-61%). Psychosocial and evidence-based support is needed to help some men resist baldness stigmatization.

Interventions to address depression in pregnant women living with HIV: a scoping review

This review aims to investigate studies from various countries on interventions to address depression in pregnant women living with HIV. This review employed a Scoping Review-PRISMA-ScR method on several electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and ProQuest. Articles that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were critically assessed using tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Six articles were included in this review. The findings revealed three themes: (1) psychosocial support, (2) peer support, and (3) psychotherapy.

Covid-19 Döneminde Hemşirelerin Sosyo-Psikolojik Desteğe İlişkin Bakış Açıları

Within the scope of this research, the problematic of whether the health policies and contents of nurses as health workers are structured or not regarding the social-psychological support of nurses during the covid-19 period is emphasized. It is aimed to reveal the analysis of the functioning dynamics of the structures and mechanisms that produce the differences in nurses' perspectives through a grounded theoretical data analysis process based on a critical realist methodology. Accordingly, one of the basic assumptions of the research is based on the necessity of health policies and policies for health workers that will ensure that nurses are supported psycho-socially in accordance with changing conditions. On the axis of the research, it is aimed to examine the thoughts of nurses about receiving social-psychological support during the covid-19 period. In this context, nurses' opinions on whether they regularly participate in individual or group counseling during the epidemic and whether they consider the content of these supports sufficient were evaluated as a public health problem in terms of general health policies. The research was carried out within the framework of in-depth interviews as a data collection technique suitable for qualitative data analysis within the framework of the grounded theory design. The obtained data were analyzed in a critical realist methodological framework in accordance with the theory design based on the MAXQDA program. With a reasoning strategy based on the way individuals explain, the data were recontextualized and described, and health policies for the existing socio-cultural-economic-social structure components were associated with a reasoning strategy based on retroduction. Among the most important findings of the study, the emphasis of most of the participants on the need for psychological support draws attention. However, despite the participants' emphasis on the necessity of receiving social-psychological support, it was observed that they stated that they did not receive such support during the pandemic process. In addition, the participants emphasized the necessity of individual-group counseling. While receiving psycho-social support should be a normalized health parameter, it has been evaluated that even in terms of this normalization, there are significant gaps in terms of health policies, especially in terms of health workers, especially in extraordinary periods such as pandemics. Keywords: Psycho-Social Support, Nursing, Health Policies, Public Health.

Utilizing the Metaverse to Provide Innovative Psychosocial Support for Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Patients with Rare Cancer.

This study investigated the potential of the metaverse in providing psychological support for pediatric and AYA cancer patients, with a focus on those with rare cancers. The research involved ten cancer patients and survivors from four distinct regions in Japan, who participated in metaverse sessions using customizable avatars, facilitating interactions across geographical and temporal barriers. Surveys and qualitative feedback were collected to assess the psychosocial impact of the intervention. The results demonstrated that the metaverse enabled patients to connect with peers, share experiences, and receive emotional support. The anonymity provided by avatars helped reduce appearance-related anxiety and stigma associated with cancer treatment. A case study of a 19-year-old male with spinal Ewing's sarcoma highlighted the profound emotional relief fostered by metaverse interactions. The findings suggest that integrating virtual spaces into healthcare models can effectively address the unique needs of pediatric and AYA cancer patients, offering a transformative approach to delivering psychosocial support and fostering a global patient community. This innovative intervention has the potential to revolutionize patient care in the digital age.

Hubungan Dukungan Psikososial dengan Proses Penyembuhan Luka Gangren Pada Pasien Diabetes Mellitus Tipe 2 di Klinik Ibnu Sina Sejahtera Jenggawah

Gangrenous wounds are a chronic complication in diabetes mellitus patients. Gangrene is dead tissue that is slightly black in color and has a distinctive odor due to the presence of bacteria. Gangrene not only has a physical impact on the patient, but also has an impact on his psychosocial life. This study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the psychosocial support of patients with gangrene wounds in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. The design of this research is correlational which aims to reveal the relationship between psychosocial support and the healing process of gangrene wounds in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at the Ibnu Sina Clinic Sejahtera Jenggawah and uses a cross sectional approach. The population in this study were type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who had gangrenous wounds at the Ibnu Sina Sejahtera Jenggawah Clinic with a sample of 33 respondents. The sampling technique uses total sampling. The results of research using the Spearman Rho Test showed that the p value was 0.001 with a calculated r value of 0.563 in the strong correlation category and the direction of the correlation was positive, which means that the better the psychosocial support, the better the wound healing process for the patient. Every patient with gangrenous wounds is expected to receive various kinds of support, including psychosocial support. Based on this, the patient's family should provide psychosocial support in order to speed up the wound healing process.

Diagnosis and Palliative Care Management of Lung Cancer: A Narrative Review

Lung cancer remains a significant health burden globally, with high mortality rates despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. Palliative care plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life for patients with lung cancer, particularly in advanced stages where curative treatment options may be limited. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of lung cancer diagnosis and the role of palliative care in its management. It explores various diagnostic modalities, including imaging techniques, molecular testing, and biopsy procedures, and discusses the integration of palliative care into the treatment paradigm to address symptom burden, psychosocial support, and end-of-life care. By understanding the complexities of lung cancer diagnosis and the benefits of palliative care, healthcare professionals can optimize patient outcomes and improve overall quality of life.

An ambition at a crossroads: Transiting out of the game in amateur and semi-professional football in Nigeria

Thousands of youths play in amateur and semi-professional clubs in Nigeria with the hope of achieving a professional contract or transnational migration through football. For the majority, however, the social and spatial mobility that is hoped for is never realised. This means that they would have to terminate their pursuit and transition into alternative adulthood pathways. Through semi-structured interviews with former players, this study explored how athletes in amateur and semi-professional football in Nigeria experience and navigate the termination process and transition out of the game. The findings revealed that career termination may develop in a non-linear trajectory as athletes consider their chances of a professional career, age and the obligations of adulthood and intergenerational care. Generally, the athletes navigated the process without significant support from their clubs or other institutions. However, they made use of the social capital and relationships built from their involvement in football (e.g. going into coaching) or leveraged familial ties to secure alternative livelihood opportunities. While participants in this study showed a proactive quest narrative to rebuild their lives away from football, some reported experiences of a chaos narrative among former colleagues, especially manifesting in alcoholism. The findings of this study underscored the need for frameworks for dual career planning for athletes alongside their athletic education and making provisions for psychosocial support for players transitioning out of the game.

Differences in Person-Centered Care in Fetal Care Centers: Results from the U.S. Pilot Study of the PCC-FCC Scale.

We report findings from a U.S. mixed-methods pilot study of the Person-Centered Care in Fetal Care Centers (PCC-FCC) Scale. Participants, who received care at a U.S. Fetal Care Center (FCC) between 2017 and 2021, completed an online questionnaire providing sociodemographic details, specifics about the care received, qualitative experiences, and scores from the PCC-FCC Scale. Participants' (n = 247) PCC-FCC scores and qualitative feedback indicate high perceived person-centered care (PCC), particularly in areas of care coordination, respectful care, and patient education. However, 8% scored below the midpoint, and 38% of comments were negative, especially regarding expectation setting, preparation for post-intervention maternal health, and psychosocial support. Public insurance was associated with higher total PCC-FCC (p = 0.03) and Factor 2 scores (p = 0.02) compared to those with private insurance. The qualitative themes trust, clarity, comprehensive care, compassion, and belonging further elucidate the concept of PCC in FCCs. The PCC-FCC Scale pilot study revealed strong overall PCC in FCCs, yet variability in patient experiences suggests areas needing improvement, including expectation setting, preparation for post-intervention maternal health, and psychosocial support. Future research must prioritize diverse samples and continued mixed methodologies to better understand the role of insurance and identify other potential disparities, ensuring comprehensive representation of the FCC patient population.

Protocol update for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of exercise rehabilitation for people with pulmonary hypertension: the SPHERe trial

BackgroundThe SPHERe (Supervised Pulmonary Hypertension Exercise Rehabilitation) trial is a multi-centre, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of supervised exercise rehabilitation with psychosocial and motivational support compared to best-practice usual care for people with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The original protocol was published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine (accessible online). We randomised our first participant in January 2020. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trial was stopped in March 2020. In person delivery of the SPHERe intervention to a vulnerable population was not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe here how trial procedures and intervention delivery were adapted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsRestrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinically vulnerable PH population meant that trial delivery was changed from a centre-based rehabilitation programme to remotely delivered group online sessions. This led to minor alterations to the eligibility criteria. These changes followed a consultation process with stakeholders and people with PH and were approved by the funder and independent trial committees.ConclusionsWe describe the modified SPHERe trial protocol in response to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. SPHERe is the first randomised controlled trial to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of an online group rehabilitation programme for people with PH compared to usual care.Trial registrationISRCTN no. 10608766. Prospectively registered on 18th March 2019, updated 16th August 2023.