Background: Life satisfaction of stroke survivors is known to be associated with socio-economic factors and the survivor’s and his/her caregiver’s quality of life, but their respective influence remains to be fully elucidated. Purpose: To analyse the stroke survivors’ life satisfaction 2 years after the event and its relationships with quality of life, socio-economic and stroke-related characteristics, and with informal caregivers’ life satisfaction and quality of life . Methods: Over 18 months, all stroke patients from Luxembourg and north-eastern Portugal who lived at home were identified from the Inspection Générale de la Sécurité Sociale and hospital records, respectively. The clinical diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease was confirmed. We excluded all patients who declared that stroke did not result in neurological impairments at the time of stroke from the statistical analysis. The samples comprised 79 patients in Luxembourg and 48 in Portugal. Patients and the people they identified as their main caregivers were interviewed using validated questionnaires measuring life satisfaction, i.e. the Newcastle Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (Newsqol – 11 subscales), which identifies the areas affected by stroke among patients, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life – bref (Whoqol-bref – 4 subscales) of informal caregivers. Survivors without neurological impairment at the time of stroke were excluded. Data were analysed via multiple-regression models. Results: Life satisfaction was higher among women and lower among subjects with impaired motor functions. It was lower among Portuguese respondents with low-level education (<12th grade) and higher among those at work (37.6/100). In Luxembourg, retired people had more life satisfaction than did working people (–7.9/100). Controlling for socio-economic factors, life satisfaction was associated with feelings- Newsqol (slope 0.25) among Luxembourg residents, and with feelings-, mobility- and self-care-Newsqol (slopes 0.24, 0.27 and 0.33, respectively) among Portuguese respondents. Life satisfaction of patients was strongly related to that of family caregivers among the Portuguese respondents (slope 0.66) but the relationship was moderate in Luxembourg (slope 0.28). The survivors’ life satisfaction was not correlated with any Whoqol-bref domain in the Luxembourg group, but was correlated with the Whoqol-bref psychological, social relationships and environment domains among the Portuguese respondents (slopes 0.55, 0.59 and 0.51, respectively). Conclusions: The life satisfaction scale and the Newsqol stroke instrument, which identify areas of quality of life affected by stroke, are reliable patient-centred markers of intervention outcome. They can be used within the framework of medical follow-up (such as telephone assistance, clinical practice and prevention). Depending on the stroke survivor’s and the family caregiver’s habitual lifestyle and material circumstances, enhancement of a caregiver’s quality of life can help maintain the patient’s life satisfaction, ...

Adherence and glycemic control usually decrease during adolescence and family relationships influence diabetes outcomes. This study analyzed the interaction effect of adolescents' family support, age, and gender in the relationship between adherence and glycemic control in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. The sample included 100 adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes and one of their parents during a routine endocrinology appointment. Adolescents answered the Self-Care Inventory-Revised, the Diabetes Family Behavior Scale and were also assessed on the glycosylated hemoglobin. The three-way interaction between adherence, family support, and adolescents' age/gender was both negatively significant and explained 24.12% and 22.02% of the variance, respectively. Higher family support, being female, and younger age moderated the relationship between adherence and glycemic control. According to results, it is important that intervention programs provide negotiation skills, according to adolescent's age and gender in the process of transferring diabetes management responsibility in order to promote better adherence to diabetes self-care, glycemic control, and prevent family conflicts regarding diabetes management.

Cerebrovascular diseases are a public health and social policy priority in Europe due to their high prevalence and the long-term disability they may result in (as

Introduction:The General Family Functioning is a subscale of the Family Assessment Device (FAD) that assess overall family functioning. This study analyzed the psychometric properties of the General Family Functioning subscale in Portuguese families with adolescents diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and healthy adolescents comparing also family functioning in both samples. Method: A total of 100 parents of adolescents with Type I Diabetes and 106 parents of healthy adolescents participated in this study. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed for both samples to analyze the adequacy of each model. Results: Both confirmatory factor analyses maintained the design in one-factor models with good fit indexes. The internal consistency in both samples was good, but slightly higher in parents of healthy adolescents. The instrument also presented good convergent and divergent validity. Discussion: The Portuguese version of the General Family Functioning subscale showed good psychometric properties and reliability in healthy adolescents and in adolescent with Type I Diabetes.

This study analyzed the impact of dissimilarities in illness perceptions between parents and adolescents, school support, and family functioning on quality of life of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). A total of 100 adolescents diagnosed with T1D for at least 1 year and a primary caregiver participated in the study (N=200). Adolescents answered the Diabetes Quality of Life and the School Support Questionnaire, and parents answered the general functioning subscale of the Family Assessment Device. Both answered the Brief-Illness Perception Questionnaire, regarding the adolescents’ diabetes. The interception effect of dissimilarities regarding identity and concerns perceptions toward diabetes, between parents and adolescents, and school support in the relationship between family functioning and quality of life was significant and explained 27% and 32% of the variance, respectively. The results showed a negative relationship between family functioning and quality of life when school support was low and dissimilarities in identity and concerns perceptions were high. Therefore, to increase quality of life of adolescents with T1D, intervention programs should include family, teachers, school staff, and peers to improve their knowledge of diabetes and support to adolescents.