Women with breast cancer are naturally exposed to strain related to diagnosis and treatment, and this influences their experienced quality of life (QoL). The present paper reports the effect, with regard to QoL aspects, of an art therapy intervention among 41 women undergoing radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer. The women were randomized to an intervention group with individual art therapy sessions for 1 h/week (n = 20), or to a control group (n = 21). The WHOQOL-BREF and EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire-BR23, were used for QoL assessment, and administrated on three measurement occasions, before the start of radiotherapy and 2 and 6 months later. The results indicate an overall improvement in QoL aspects among women in the intervention group. A significant increase in total health, total QoL, physical health and psychological health was observed in the art therapy group. A significant positive difference within the art therapy group was also seen, concerning future perspectives, body image and systemic therapy side effects. The present study provides strong support for the use of art therapy to improve QoL for women undergoing radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

This study shows that individual art therapy provided by a trained art therapist in a clinical setting can give beneficial support to women with primary breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy, as it can improve their coping resources.

No abstract

A non-anonymous questionnaire was distributed to all nursing staff (n = 557) including RNs, LPNs (psychiatric), LPNs (somatic) and nurses' aides, in one nursing home, one somatic long-term care clinic and one psychogeriatric clinic. Scales measuring empathy, burnout experience and attitudes towards demented patients were included in the questionnaire. The aim of the study was to compare levels of empathy, burnout experience and attitudes among different categories of nursing staff and to examine connections between empathy, burnout and attitudes. The nursing staff showed an overall figure of moderately well-developed empathy and the RNs showed the highest empathy. The RNs had a significantly lower degree of burnout compared to the nurses' aides and the LPNs. Of all respondents, 27.4% were assessed at risk from burnout. Overall, the staff showed a moderately positive attitude towards demented patients and the RNs were most positive. No linear correlation was found between empathy, burnout experience and attitudes. However, a weak negative correlation between burnout and empathy is in accordance with other authors who are suggesting that burnout experience leads to lower empathy in the nursing staff. The fact that the RNs showed the most positive attitudes towards demented patients and had the highest level of empathy compared to LPNs and nurses' aides could be related to lower degree of burnout assessed in the RNs. Qualitative and quantitative overload among the LPNs and nurses' aides connected to the growing number of demented patients in the institutions examined are discussed.

A survey study concerning violence was conducted among staff (n=506) working with the elderly in residential settings and ordinary homes. The major aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of violence directed towards staff by elderly people living in residential settings. Furthermore, associations between the number of violent incidents and gender, age, year in service, year at present place of work, education of the staff, type of setting, the frequency and type of violence as well as the emotional reactions expressed by the staff should be examined. Forty percent of the staff was exposed to violence during the preceding year and 18% noted incidents of violence daily. A significantly larger proportion of staff working in nursing homes registered violence compared with those working in other types of settings. Physical violence was the most common (76%) type of violence. Powerlessness, sadness, anger and feelings of insufficiency were the most dominant feelings among staff facing by violent situations. Our results point to the necessity to further study caregivers' perception of patient violence and its impact on the quality of care.