Exploring the Unmet Needs of Primary Caregivers of Autistic Children and Its Implications for Social Work Practice in Ghana

Caring for an autistic child is fraught with various difficulties and may present unmet needs that could affect the overall well‐being of caregivers and children themselves. Consequently, gaining insight into the unmet needs of these caregivers is imperative for the development of targeted and effective interventions to enhance their quality of life and improve their ability to care for their children. Using a descriptive qualitative research design, this study engaged 10 primary caregivers of autistic children in Ghana to understand their unmet needs. Data were collected through in‐depth interviews and thematically analyzed. The analysis revealed the urgent need for financial support for primary caregivers, the availability of more special schools, and the services of trained professionals in the field of autism. Caregivers also called for the intensification of public education to help reorient the perspectives of the general population on the autism condition. Based on the findings, some recommendations for policy and practice were made. The implications of the findings for social work are also discussed

Exploring the cognitive processes of both Arabic and English-speaking patients when completing the brief pain inventory: A qualitative study

Background: Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) is one of the most commonly used self-initiated questionnaire for people with chronic pain. Although the questionnaire has been translated into multiple different languages and tested for its inter-tester reliability, no study has currently explored the differences in interpretation of this questionnaire between non-English speakers as compared to English-speakers. Purpose: Using the Arabic-language group as the comparator, this study explored the interpretation of the English and Arabic language Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) among participants living with chronic neuromusculoskeletal pain from Arabic- and English-speaking backgrounds. Methods: This qualitative study utilises the Think Aloud method to explore the differences in the interpretation of the BPI between two language groups. Consecutive consenting adults attending a tertiary pain clinic for management of a chronic neuromusculoskeletal pain condition and self-identifying with a native English-speaking (n = 15) or Arabic-speaking (n = 15) background were included. Structured interviews using the think-aloud method were conducted, audio-recorded and analysed using coding and thematic analysis. Results: Interpretation errors across three or more questions were recorded for all Arabic-speaking participants and two English-speaking participants. Three themes characterised appraisals of pain and interpretation of the BPI across the two cohorts: 1) pain constancy vs. variability, 2) the ability-disability spectrum and 3) variance in expression of pain. Conclusion: Cross-cultural differences in the appraisal of pain influenced participants' interpretation of the BPI. The cultural influences on conceptualisation of pain need to be considered when using the BPI across different cultures