Application of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory to Ethiopian Cancer Patients

Objectives: Fatigue is a frequent debilitating symptom associated with cancer. However, scientific data on cancer-related fatigue is scarce in developing nations. This work examines psychometric properties of the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI- 20) and analyzes the level of fatigue among Ethiopian patients with cancer in comparison with data from Germany. Methods: A sample of 256 patients with cancer drawn from a hospital in Ethiopia was examined with the MFI-20 and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). A comparative sample of 780 German patients with cancer served as the control. Results: The MFI-20 scales and total score showed acceptable reliability (a = 0.60– 0.93) with a considerable convergent validity between MFI-20 and the EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue scale (r = 0.67–0.75). The Ethiopian patients with cancer reported higher levels of fatigue than the German patients. Analyses of variance showed that Ethiopian patients with cancer who were illiterate, having advanced cancer, and those who did not receive either surgery or chemotherapy reported especially high levels of fatigue. Conclusion: The MFI-20 is a fairly reliable and valid instrument to be used with Amharic speaking patients with cancer. The high level of fatigue in these patients implies that appropriate cancer care is needed in developing countries

La inclusión como 'North Star' y las perspectivas de la vida cotidiana. Consideraciones sobre las preocupaciones, transformaciones y necesidades de la inclusión en las escuelas en Alemania

Focusing on the development of inclusive education in Germany in the last 15 years, this article proceeds in three steps. First, after a short sketch of the legal situation and its discussion, the idea of inclusion in schools is illustrated. It is followed by a critical reflection on the development of the inclusion discourse in education policy, associations and in science of Germany. Finally, some necessary conditions for a coherent development in different areas are highlighted.Centrándose en el desarrollo de la educación inclusiva en Alemania en los últimos 15 años, este artículo procede en tres pasos. En primer lugar, después de un breve esbozo de la situación jurídica y su discusión, la idea de inclusión en las escuelas se ilustra. Le sigue una reflexión crítica sobre el desarrollo del discurso de la inclusión en las políticas de educación, asociaciones y en la ciencia de Alemania. Por último, se destacan algunas condiciones necesarias para un desarrollo coherente en distintos ámbitos

Importance of and Satisfaction with Domains of Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Rehabilitation

Instruments for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL) generally do not consider the subjective importance of the dimensions they comprise. The aims of this study were to analyze the subjectively perceived importance of the dimension of HRQoL and to investigate their relationship to the satisfaction ratings with these dimensions. A total of 1108 participants enrolled in a cancer rehabilitation program were surveyed. Patients rated eight dimensions of HRQoL (physical functioning, autonomy, emotional stability, cognitive functioning, social relationships, vitality, absence of pain, and sleep quality), as well as global health in terms of how important those dimensions are to them, and how satisfied they are with them. The dimensions with the highest importance ratings were autonomy and social relationships. There were only small sex differences in the importance ratings, but younger patients rated health as being more important than older patients did. The correlations between the importance ratings and the satisfaction ratings of the specific HRQoL dimensions ranged from 0.06 to 0.40, and the correlation between importance and satisfaction for global health was 0.01. Importance ratings provide relevant information for health care professionals in addition to the HRQoL assessments in the context of cancer rehabilitation

Raum für machtsensible gemeinsame Entwicklung: dialogische, sprachheterogene und gleichwürdige Forschung

Der Beitrag beschreibt, wie eine gemeinsame Tätigkeit, nämliche die Entwicklung einer Buchpublikation mit und über Patricia Netti, einen Raum für machtsensible Praxis eröffnet. Dabei legen sie Wert auf die originelle und selbstbestimmte Darstellung der Lebensgeschichte der jungen Frau mit Behinderung und reflektieren ihre Rolle als Freund*in und Wegbegleiter*in von Patricia Netti. (DIPF/Orig.

Resonanz und Inklusion – gegenseitige Besuche in \u27theoretischer Nachbarschaft\u27

Die Autoren leiten in die inhaltliche Diskussion mit einer inklusiven Perspektive ein und untersuchen in ihrem Beitrag den möglichen Zusammenhang und die Anschlussmöglichkeiten von Resonanz und Inklusion entlang einer exemplarischen Lerngeschichte einer Erzieherin in einer inklusiven KiTa. (DIPF/Orig.

Norm Values and Psychometric Properties of the 24-Item Demoralization Scale (DS-I) in a Representative Sample of the German General Population

Purpose: The Demoralization scale (DS-I) is a validated and frequently used instrument to assess existential distress in patients with cancer and other severe medical illness. The purpose of this study was to provide normative values derived from a representative German general population sample and to analyze the correlational structure of the DS-I. Methods: A representative sample of the adult German general population completed the DS-I (24 Items), the Emotion Thermometers (ET) measuring distress, anxiety, depression, anger, need for help, and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale (FACIT-fatigue). Results: The sample consists of N = 2,407 adults (mean age = 49.8; range = 18–94 years), 55.7% women). The percentages of participants above the DS-I cutoff (30) was 13.5%. The mean scores of the DS-I dimensions were as follows: (1) loss of meaning and purpose: M = 2.78 SD = 4.49; (2) disheartenment: M = 3.19 SD = 4.03; (3) dysphoria M = 4.51 SD = 3.20; (4) sense of failure: M = 6.24 SD = 3.40; and for the DS-I total score: M = 16.72 SD = 12.74. Women reported significantly higher levels of demoralization than men, with effect sizes between d = 0.09 (Loss of Meaning) and d = 0.21 (Dysphoria). Age was not associated with demoralization in our sample. DS-I reliability was excellent (a = 0.94) and DS-I subscales were interrelated (r between 0.31 and 0.87) and significantly correlated with ET, especially depression, anxiety, and need for help and fatigue (r between 0.14 and 0.69). Conclusions: In order to use the DS-I as a screening tool in clinical practice and research the normative values are essential for comparing the symptom burden of groups of patients within the health care system to the general population. Age and sex differences between groups of patients can be accounted for using the presented normative scores of the DS-I