Optimizing outcome and quality of life for mesenteric ischemia patients by improving diagnostic and treatment strategies

With this thesis we have shown that outcome for mesenteric ischemia patients has improved over time. The main reasons for this are the introduction of minimally invasive treatment options and increased awareness of the disease. Both have let to more organ-sparing strategies and enhancement of quality of life. Timely diagnosis is still very difficult. Although many researchers have tried to find a biomarker or combination of biomarkers to aid in the diagnostic process of AMI patients, we have shown that the use of biomarkers in the diagnostic process of AMI is insufficiently substantiated. The actual diagnosis of AMI can currently only be made on the basis of a high index of suspicion followed by a multislice CTA. To save bowel and reduce morbidity and mortality, prompt revascularization is essential before assessment of bowel with possible resection should be performed. We have shown that endovascular treatment (EVT) has replaced open surgical revascularization as primary treatment strategy with antegrade (PMAS) as the first and retrograde (ROMS) as the second option. Although EVT has a lower primary patency, the less invasive character and concomitant lower morbidity and mortality is favourable for these cachectic and severely ill patients. While great progress has been made in treatment options in the field of atherosclerotic mesenteric ischemia for years, the raison d'être of the median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is still a huge point of discussion. With our comprehensive systematic review, we have shown that (endoscopic) coeliac artery release (e)CAR gives a sustainable symptom relief of 68% in adults and 82% in paediatric patients. These results were the basis for our application to the Dutch National Health Institute, who have appointed us €1,3M for our blinded, randomised controlled trial comparing (e)CAR with a sham operation in patients suspected of MALS. It is estimated that the CARoSO trial will end the debate, whether MALS really does exist and if (e)CAR is a cost-effective treatment for these patients. <br/

Women’s participation in Kwasa vegetable garden project in Port Elizabeth

Poverty is one of the major challenges faced by South Africa today, even after twenty three years of being a democratic country. A majority of South Africa’s population still lives below poverty line and the most affected are women and children. The alleviation of poverty is one of the priorities for the government, and the communities where the poor live engage in projects that support poverty alleviation while on the same breath also helps with skills development and financial freedom. In this research study, the researcher has investigated the impact of women participation on urban agriculture project by means of a vegetable garden to alleviate poverty at Kwasa Project in Walmer Township. The research has followed a qualitative approach which included individual interviews using an interview schedule. To supplement the above, secondary relevant scholarly sources were consulted. The objectives of the research were outlined which include the investigation of the challenges facing the Kwasa Project in Walmer Township. In the final analysis, the researcher has provided recommendations with the view of resolving some of the problems discovered during the interviews

Well-to-do or doing well? Empirical studies of wellbeing and development

How do we measure wellbeing and how is it determined? To investigate this question, the author takes the reader from Uganda to Bolivia, from a computer laboratory to a college sorority. In the different chapters, she explores how telephone use affects economic wellbeing, how our happiness and behaviour are influenced by others, and how income inequalities in our societies can impact how much we trust the people around us

The Influence of Materialism on Well-Being among Thai Adolescents

This investigation attempted to examine the influence of materialism on well-being, mediated by gratitude, anxiety, and depression among Thai adolescents. Operationally, well-being encompassed the factors of academic performance, social integration, and life satisfaction. Data were collected from 1,200 university students in the Bangkok area. A self-administered survey questionnaire in Thai was employed for data collection. The questionnaire consisted of the following: a researcherconstructed set of questions to elicit demographic information, the Material Values Scale (MVS) to measure materialism, the Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6) to measure gratitude, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to measure anxiety, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) to measure depression, the Engaged Living in Youth Scale (ELYS) to measure social integration, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) to measure life satisfaction. The findings of Study 1 revealed that the Thai versions of the GQ-6 and the ELYS are psychometrically sound and, therefore, reliable and valid for use with Thai participants. Study 2 demonstrated the indirect negative influence of materialism on well-being, being mediated by gratitude, anxiety, and depression, nonsignificant correlation between materialism and gratitude, direct negative influence of materialism on well-being, and identified the full-direct model as the model that best explains the interrelationships among the core variables

A Study of The Direct and Indirect Relationships between Online Disinhibition and Depression and Stress Being Mediated by The Frequency of Cyberbullying from Victim and Perpetrator Perspectives

This study attempted to investigate the direct and indirect influences of online disinhibition effect on university students’ levels of depression and stress, being mediated by their reported frequency of cyberbullying as victim and perpetrator. A total of 217 students completed a survey questionnaire consisting of a demographics section, the Online Disinhibition Scale (Udris, 2014) to measure benign online disinhibition and toxic online disinhibition, the Cyberbullying Scale (Patchin &amp; Hinduja, 2010) to measure cyberbullying as victim and perpetrator, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (Lovibond &amp; Lovibond, 1995) to measure depression and stress levels. Results revealed that the participants’ reported mean score of benign online disinhibition (i.e., helpful and prosocial behaviors) was higher than that of toxic online disinhibition (i.e., hurtful and denigrating behaviors). Results of path analysis showed that the participants’ reported level of toxic online disinhibition has both direct and indirect influences on their reported levels of depression and stress. In terms of direct influence, it was found that the higher the participants’ reported level of toxic online disinhibition, the higher their reported levels of depression and stress. The results also showed that in terms of indirect influence, the higher the participants’ reported level of toxic online disinhibition, the more they reported themselves as being victims of cyberbullying and, subsequently, the higher their reported levels of depression and stress. The participants’ reported level of benign online disinhibition was not found to be significantly associated with their reported levels of depression and stress, either directly or indirectly

EMPOWERING YOUTH: PROMOTING SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AMONG THAI ADOLESCENTS OF LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS THROUGH POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY INTERVENTION

This quiz-experimental study examined the effectiveness of a 10-hour workshop-based intervention program that incorporated positive psychology strategies. Participants in the study included 72 Thai adolescents age 14 to 17 years with low socioeconomic status from four Fai-Fah centers, two of which were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (1) the Positive Empowerment for Adolescents (PEA) group or (2) the expressive writing and reading control group. PEA is a series of positive psychology interventions including character strength enhancement, goal setting, problem solving skills, and gratitude journaling and letter writing. Data were collected on participants at pre-and-post intervention including self-report measures of life satisfaction, positive affect ratio, self-efficacy, and perceived social support, by using Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMLSS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C), Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), and Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS) respectively. The results suggested that the PEA intervention program had a significant effect on the level of self-efficacy and perceived social support, although there were no significant effects on positive affect ratio. Surprisingly, the control group subjects showed a significantly higher level of life satisfaction than the experimental group. Integration of the expressive writing and reading found to be effective at raising life satisfaction from the control group, as well as elements of traditional Thai cultural practices such as meditation are recommended to help strengthen the PEA intervention program

THE IMPACT OF SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING, CALLING, AND RELIGIOUS COPING ON BURNOUT, MEDIATED BY JOB STRESSORS, AMONG THAI PROTESTANT PASTORS

The present study attempted to investigate the direct and indirect influences of spiritual well-being, calling, and religious coping on burnout among Protestant Thai pastors, being mediated by job stressors. This investigation consisted of two parts (Study 1 and 2) which included the examination of the psychometric properties of five Thai-translated Western-based measures: The Clergy Spiritual Well-Being Scale (CSWS), the Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ), the Brief Religious Coping (Brief RCOPE), the Challenge and Hindrance Stressors Scale (CHSS), and the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI). The participants consisted of 505 Thai Protestant pastors aged between 23 to 65 years, recruited from three major Christian church organizations in Thailand. The results revealed that (1) the five Thai-translated measures were psychometrically sound (reliable and valid); (2) both spiritual well-being and calling have direct influences on burnout; (3) only religious coping has an indirect influence on burnout, being mediated by job stressors; (4) the full path model which incorporated the hypothesized direct and indirect influences is a better representation of causal relationships among the variables than the indirect model