Ordinarily, when stressors are encountered, a cascade of cognitive and behavioural responses is evoked that serves to protect the individual from compromised well-being. When coping resources or skills are limited or ineffective, then psychological disturbances, such as depression, may ensue (Paykel, 2001). Although any number of factors could account for variations of stress resilience, this paper argues that early life experiences and relationships, and particularly those with parents or primary caregivers, may contribute to the development of appropriate styles of coping, which, in turn, influence affective responses in the face of stressors encountered in adulthood.

AbstractBackgroundThe ankle joint is the most common site of bleeding for people with haemophilia (PWH) in the developed world. Recent surveys suggest that PWH do not always have access to non-surgical musculoskeletal interventions and that when provided; there is considerable heterogeneity in clinical practice.AimsTo determine patient perceptions and the potential benefits of a new combined multidisciplinary physiotherapy-podiatry haemophilia clinic, and to observe the effect on frequency of bleeds and ankle joint Haemophilia Joint Health Scores (HJHS).Materials and methodsPWH with a history of ankle bleeds, pain, foot and/or ankle deformities from a single UK haemophilia centre were referred to the clinic from December 2017 to December 2018. Pre- and post-intervention ankle joint HJHS data and ankle annualised joint bleed rate (AJBR) were collected together with a satisfaction questionnaire asking patients their views on the clinic's value, usefulness and their satisfaction after the initial appointment.ResultsTwenty-seven PWH (16 children and 11 adults) attended the clinic. All patients agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the new clinic. The combined multidisciplinary nature of the clinic meant that patients only needed to attend one appointment with the expertise of two professionals, rather than attending two separate appointments. All patients reported it “more useful to see the physiotherapist and podiatrist together”. There were no statistically significant differences in ankle AJBR or HJHS scores post-intervention compared to pre-intervention.ConclusionEstablishing a multidisciplinary physiotherapy-podiatry clinic for PWH with a history of ankle bleeds, pain, foot and/or ankle deformities appears to increase patient satisfaction. We did not observe a significant change in ankle AJBR or ankle HJHS scores, suggesting they might not be sufficient to evaluate potential benefits to patients. A larger study incorporating validated tools, focusing on patient-reported foot function, pain, activity and quality of life is needed to confirm if there is any effect of a combined physiotherapy-podiatry intervention on ankle joint AJBR and function.

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IntroductionHaemophilia is a rare, inherited disorder in which blood does not clot normally, resulting in bleeding into joints and muscles. Long-term consequence is disabling joint pain, stiffness, muscle weakness, atrophy and reduced mobility. The purpose of this proposed feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) is to test the feasibility of an age-appropriate physiotherapy intervention designed to improve muscle strength, posture and the way boys use their joints during walking and everyday activities.Methods and analysisA small-scale two-centre RCT of a 12-week muscle strengthening exercise intervention versus usual care for young children with haemophilia will be conducted. Primary outcomes will be safety and adherence to the exercise intervention. Secondary outcomes will include recruitment, retention and adverse event rates, clinical data, muscle strength, joint biomechanics and foot loading patterns during walking, 6 min timed walk, timed-up-and-down-stairs, EQ-5D-Y, participants’ perceptions of the study, training requirements and relevant costs. Recruitment, follow-up, safety and adherence rates will be described as percentages. Participant diary and interview data will be analysed using a framework analysis. Demographic and disease variable distributions will be analysed for descriptive purposes and covariant analysis. Estimates of differences between treatment arms (adjusted for baseline) and 75% and 95% CIs will be calculated.Ethics and disseminationThe study has ethical approval from the London—Fulham Research Ethics Committee (17/LO/2043) as well as Health Research Authority approval. As well as informing the design of the definitive trial, results of this study will be presented at local, national and international physiotherapy and haemophilia meetings as well as manuscripts submitted to peer-reviewed journals. We will also share the main findings of the study to all participants and the Haemophilia Society.

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