Various sources of data provided different perspectives on resident's QoL. Each perspective is relatively independent and somewhat unique. In those patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, direct measures of QoL should be considered.
The QoL perception by persons with dementia living in a nursing home is mainly affected by their emotional state (depression level), while proxies' perceptions (both family and staff) are mainly associated with patients' functional autonomy in daily living. Therefore, perspectives of persons with dementia and their informants are not congruent. Moreover, facility features and family and staff members' personal features do not affect QoL ratings.
Support groups (SG) for family caregivers are an intervention frequently used by associations and institutions. But their extensive use does not correspond to the current scientific interest in them. The aim of this paper is to make a historical review of the use and study of SGs for family caregivers of Alzheimer patients, describing their main features and variations, with special emphasis on data about their efficacy. In this analysis, three stages were differentiated: an initial stage (late 1970s -1985) with studies based on subjective impressions and questionnaires showing high satisfaction among caregivers; a second stage (1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995) with more rigorous methodology, which led to doubts about SGs' efficacy; and a third stage (1995 -present) in which qualitative methodology focused on group process has led to renewed interest. At the end some proposals regarding the future of research on caregiver SGs are discussed.
QoL self-rating should be the first-line option when assessing residents with severe cognitive impairment. For those that are not able to complete self-report measures, proxies' report could be an alternative, although the development of other assessment procedures (e.g. observational) should be considered.
Although residents in SCUs present higher levels of impairment, there are no real differences in the care provided besides a higher probability of having individual rooms. Regulations on required features for SCUs in Spain are necessary to guarantee that care provided to residents is truly special.
This study aims to develop and test a 3-session version of the Broad-Minded Affective Coping (BMAC) technique and to explore the relationship between implementation (features of the positive memory evoked, satisfaction, and engagement) and outcome. The BMAC was delivered to 31 female university students in three sessions over 7–10 days. Positive and negative affect, and difficulties in regulation of negative and positive emotions were assessed pre-treatment and post-treatment. The intervention resulted in a significant reduction in negative affect and in difficulties in negative emotion regulation. No significant effects were found on positive affect or on difficulties in positive emotion regulation. Moreover, the memories chosen were found to be highly central, and patient and therapist levels of satisfaction and engagement in the technique were very high throughout the three sessions. No significant relationships were found between implementation and outcome. This leads to the conclusion that the technique may be suitable for inclusion in broader treatment packages.
Background
Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural treatments have been proven to be effective for reducing symptoms in female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), although they still present some difficulties (e.g. significant drop-out rates, low adherence). Based on existing evidence about the difficulty of accessing memories of positive experiences among these women, we considered integrating positive memory evocation in trauma-focused treatments. The present study aims to test the effect of adding a positive memory module to trauma-focused CBT for female survivors of IPV.
Methods
The study is a single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing two trauma-focused CBT (with and without a positive memory module) for female survivors of IPV and a wait-list condition (superiority trial), including pretreatment and posttreatment measures, and follow-ups at 3, 6 and 12 months. Assessors of treatment outcome will be blinded to the trial arm. We aim to recruit 135 participants who will be randomized to one of the experimental conditions. The primary outcome is PTSD symptom severity. Secondary outcome measures include IPV, attitudes towards IPV, posttraumatic cognitions, centrality of trauma, self-concept, positive and negative affect, depression, anxiety, emotional dysregulation or health-related quality of life, as well as satisfaction with treatment. Moreover, adherence to and satisfaction with treatment will be considered.
Discussion
This study first analyses the effect of including positive memory evocation into a trauma-focused treatment for female survivors of IPV. This strategy aims to improve the effect of the treatments and enhance the healing of the trauma by developing a more integrated and emotionally modulated autobiographical narrative that contributes to the recovery and well-being of the victims.
Trial registration
ISRCTN73702156. Registered on 10 March 2022.
IntroductionQuality of Life (QoL) is an important outcome variable in Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) for opiate dependence. Previous research has focused on demographic variables, treatment features, drug use and physical and mental health as possible predictors of QoL in this condition but interest in genuinely psychological variables (skills and personal repertoires) has been lacking. Experiential Avoidance (EA), the tendency to behave in order to decrease some kind of internal distress, has a strong relationship to psychological disorders and holds promise as a potential predictor of QoL.ObjectivesTo identify predictors of QoL in clients undergoing MMT, taking into account psychological variables.AimsTo see if EA is related to QoL in clients undergoing MMT.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design, information was gathered from 48 opiate-dependent individuals undergoing MMT. Variables included were QoL (IDUQOL), severity of drug use, social adjustment and physical and mental health (ASI-6), emotional distress (HAD) and EA (AAQ and its version for substance-abusing individuals, AAQ-SA). Mean-comparison tests and correlation tests were carried out, and several variables were entered into a stepwise multiple regression analysis.ResultsAnxiety and EA were the only variables which made it into the regression model, accounting for 41.9% of variance of QoL.ConclusionsContrary to previous research, the predictors of QoL were psychological. It is the first time that EA is related to QoL in this population. Interventions should explicitly target EA and anxiety. Additional research should make use of longitudinal designs and take into account further psychological variables (emotion regulation, coping).Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
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