The importance of hope for quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis

Aims: This study intends to describe the importance of hope for the quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis. Evidence has indicated that Hope is important as a buffer between risk factors, physical and psychological health status, and quality of life for patients with multiple sclerosis. Methods: The study was exploratory and descriptive. Setting: A general Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. Participants: 280 patients with Multiple Sclerosis. We explore the relationship between Hope and Quality of Life. The instruments used are the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life scale (MSQol-54) and the Hope Scale. Results: The correlation between the Hope Scale and the domains of MSQOL-54: Physical Health (r=0.24, p<0.05), Physical Role Limitations (r=0.25, p<0.05), Emotional Role Limitations (r=0.35, p<0.05), Pain (r=0.28, p<0.05),Well-being (r=0.48, p<0.01), Energy (r=0.42, p<0.01), Health in General (r=0.41, p<0.01), Social Function (r=0.45, p<0.01), Cognitive Function (r=0.28, p<0.05), Health Distress (r=0.52, p<0.01), Overal Qol (r=0.49, p<0.01), Sexual function (r=0.33, p<0.05), Change in Health (r=-0.17, p<0.05), and Satisfaction with sexual function (r=0.33, p<0.05). Conclusions: There is a statistically significant correlation between the variables, suggesting that hope can play an important role in the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis, especially in domains such as the perception of well-being, health in general, and social function, and distress.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Optimism on quality of life in Portuguese chronic patients: moderator/mediator?

OBJECTIVE: optimism is an important variable that has consistently been shown to affect adjustment to quality of life in chronic diseases. This study aims to clarify if dispositional optimism exerts a moderating or a mediating influence on the personality traits-quality of life association, in Portuguese chronic patients. METHODS: multiple regression models were used to test the moderation and mediation effects of dispositional optimism in quality of life. A sample of 729 patients was recruited in Portugal's main hospitals and completed self-reported questionnaires assessing socio-demographic and clinical variables, personality, dispositional optimism, quality of life (QoL) and subjective well-being (SWB). RESULTS: the results of the regression models showed that dispositional optimism did not moderate the relationships between personality traits and quality of life. After controlling for gender, age, education level and severity of disease perception, the effects of personality traits on QoL and in SWB were mediated by dispositional optimism (partially and completely), except for the links between neuroticism/openness to experience and physical health. CONCLUSION: dispositional optimism is more likely to play a mediating, rather than a moderating role in personality traits-quality of life pathway in Portuguese chronic patients, suggesting that "the expectation that good things will happen" contributes to a better quality of life and subjective well-being

Stress appraisal, coping, and work engagement among police recruits: an exploratory study.

This study investigated the influence of stress appraisal and coping on work engagement levels (Absorption, Vigour, and Dedication) of police recruits. Participants were 387 men, ages 20 to 33 yr. (M = 24.1, SD = 2.4), in their last month of academy training before becoming police officers. Partially in support of predictions, work engagement was associated with Stressor control perceived, but not Stress intensity experienced over a self-selected stressor. Although the three dimensions of work engagement were explained by Stressor control and coping, Absorption was the dimension better explained by these variables. Police recruits reporting higher Absorption, Vigour, and Dedication reported using more Active coping and less Behavioural disengagement. Results showed that stress appraisal and coping are important variables influencing work engagement among police recruits. Findings suggested that future applied interventions fostering work engagement among police recruits should reinforce perceptions of control over a stressor as well as Active coping strategies

Stigma and obesity: comparative study between candidates to obesity surgery and patients already submitted to this treatment

Baratte François. Un trésor d'argenterie découvert en Asie centrale. In: Bulletin de la Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France, 2001, 2006. pp. 176-177

Psychological morbidity, social intimacy, physical symptomatology, and lifestyle in adult children of divorced parents

This study assessed the relationships between psychological morbidity, social intimacy, perception of the parental relationship, lifestyle and physical symptomatology as well as the contributors of physical symptomatology, in adult children of divorced parents. Participants answered the Physical Symptom Questionnaire, the Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale, the Lifestyle Questionnaire, the Social Intimacy Scale and The Perception of the Parental Relationship Scale. Results revealed that older participants showed lower levels of anxiety, depression and stress and that male participants perceived the parental relationship as better when compared to females. There was a negative association between depression and the duration of parental divorce. Adult children with greater physical symptoms and more anxious showed less social intimacy. The latter was associated with a less healthy lifestyle. As expected less physical symptomatology was associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Anxiety was the only variable that contributed to physical symptomatology. Intervention should be gender sensitive and focus early on on the identification of psychological morbidity, social intimacy, healthy behaviors, and physical symptomatology, in adult children whose parents are in the process of divorcing.(undefined

Estudo da Basic Need Satisfaction in General Scale para a língua portuguesa

Este estudo descreve o processo de adaptação da versão portuguesa, de 21 itens, da Basic Need Satisfaction in General Scale da teoria de auto-determinação. O instrumento é composto por três subescalas que correspondem às três necessidades básicas (a) competência, (b) autonomia e (c) relações de pertença. Foi administrado em dois estudos independentes, 420 e 408 participantes respectivamente, com amostras de conveniência da comunidade. A primeira fase incluiu tradução, retroversão e retradução; inspecção da equivalência lexical e de conteúdo; e reflexão falada. No processo de adaptação é aferido se a validade de conteúdo está de acordo com a teoria original. O estudo métrico revela valores baixos na consistência interna em algumas das subescalas. Numa análise exploratória inicial, em ambos os estudos, emergem três factores no scree plot, a maioria dos itens apresenta carga factorial apropriada no primeiro factor. Os resultados sugerem que a escala poderá ser utilizada na população portuguesa assumindo os princípios teóricos definidos pelos autores originais e reconhecidos na investigação.Abstract: This paper describes the adaptation process of the Portuguese version, comprised of 21 items, of the Basic Need Satisfaction in General Scale of self-determination theory. This instrument consists of three subscales that correspond to the three basic needs of (a) competence, (b) autonomy and (c) relatedness. It was administered in two independent studies, with 420 and 408 participants respectively, with convenience samples extracted from the community. The first phase included translation, back translation and retroversion; inspection for lexical equivalence, content validity and cognitive debriefing. In the adaptation process we evaluated whether the content validity was consistent with the original theory. Psychometric properties reveal low internal consistency in some of the subscales. In an initial exploratory analysis, in both studies, three factors emerged in the scree plot and most of the items displayed appropriate factorial load in the first factor. The results suggest that the scale may be used in the Portuguese population assuming the theoretical principles defined by the original authors and recognized in research

Quality of life in caregivers of patients with multiple myeloma

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the relationship between sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological variables with quality of life (QoL) and the moderating role of caregivers' age and caregiving duration in caregivers of patients with Multiple Myeloma.Method: The sample included 118 caregivers who completed questionnaires that assessed psychological morbidity, satisfaction with social support, coping, burden, unmet needs, and QoL.Results: High psychological morbidity, burden and information, financial and emotional unmet needs were associated with lower QoL, while higher satisfaction with social support and more effective use of coping strategies were associated with better QoL. Women caregivers reported more satisfaction with social support and those who did not choose to care reported greater financial unmet needs and more use of coping strategies. The relationship between caregivers' psychological morbidity/social support and QoL was mediated by emotional needs and double mediated by coping and burden. The caregivers' age moderated the relationship between psychological morbidity/social support and emotional needs.Conclusion: Interventions to support the caregiver's emotional needs to promote their QoL are needed. These should be particularly tailored for older caregivers reporting greater psychological morbidity and younger caregivers less satisfied with their social support, as they have a negative indirect impact on their QoL.Portuguese Associations of Portuguese Association against Leukemia and the PortugueseAssociation of Leukemias and Lymphoma