Zoekresultaten

Deficits of Interference Control in Adolescents With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Fatigue, participation and quality of life in adolescents and young adults with acquired brain injury in an out patient rehabilitation cohort

Purpose: To study the association between fatigue and participation and QoL after acquired brain injury (ABI) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs). Materials & Methods: Cross-sectional study with AYAs aged 14–25 years, diagnosed with ABI. The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, Child & Adolescent Scale of Participation, and PedsQL™4.0 Generic Core Scales were administered. Results: Sixty-four AYAs participated in the study, 47 with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Median age at admission was 17.6 yrs, 0.8 yrs since injury. High levels of fatigue (median 44.4 (IQR 34.7, 59.7)), limited participation (median 82.5 (IQR 68.8, 92.3)), and diminished QoL (median 63.0 (IQR 47.8, 78.3)) were reported. More fatigue was significantly associated with more participation restrictions (β 0.64, 95%CI 0.44, 0.85) and diminished QoL (β 0.87, 95%CI 0.72, 1.02). Conclusions: AYAs with ABI reported high levels of fatigue, limited participation and diminished quality of life with a significant association between fatigue and both participation and QoL. Targeting fatigue in rehabilitation treatment could potentially improve participation and QoL.

Improving patient–practitioner interaction in chronic pain rehabilitation

Stimulating patients to approach their pain from a biopsychosocial perspective is central to chronic pain rehabilitation. However, conversations between patients and their healthcare professionals about the social and psychological factors that may contribute to the continuation of pain and disability can be challenging. The current scientific literature does not sufficiently pinpoint the difficulties in patient–practitioner interaction on chronic pain, and it falls short of answering the question of how a joint exploration of the social and psychological factors that might be involved in the patient’s pain and evolving disability can be enhanced. In this theoretical article, we introduce discursive psychology as a potentially valuable research perspective to gain a better understanding of the difficulties in patient–practitioner interaction in the context of chronic pain rehabilitation. Discursive psychology focuses on features of people’s talk (e.g. that of patients and practitioners) and is concerned with the social practices that people perform as part of a specific interactional context. In this paper, we provide an introduction to the main theoretical notions of discursive psychology. We illustrate how discursive psychological analyses can inform our understanding of the specific sensitivities in conversations between patients with chronic pain and their practitioners. Finally, we address how a better understanding of these sensitivities offers a gateway towards improving these conversations. Een belangrijk principe in revalidatie bij chronische pijn is de benadering van de pijn vanuit een biopsychosociaal perspectief. Het blijkt echter een uitdaging voor patiënten en behandelaars om de sociale en psychologische factoren die een rol spelen bij chronische pijn te bespreken. In de huidige wetenschappelijke literatuur is hier nog niet voldoende aandacht voor; en wordt geen perspectief geboden voor verbetering van de gezamenlijke verkenning van sociale en psychologische factoren. In dit theoretische artikel introduceren we discursieve psychologie als een mogelijk waardevol onderzoeksperspectief om een beter begrip tot stand te brengen van de complexiteit van interactie in de context van chronische pijn revalidatie. Discursieve psychologie richt zich op kenmerken van interactie, in het bijzonder de sociale praktijken die tot stand worden gebracht binnen een specifieke interactionele context. We beschrijven de belangrijkste theoretische principes van discursieve psychologie en illustreren hoe een DP analyse licht kan werpen op de specifieke gevoeligheden in conversaties tussen patiënten met chronische pijn en hun behandelaars. Tot slot bespreken we hoe een beter begrip van deze gevoeligheden een ingang biedt tot het verbeteren van deze conversaties.

Associations of chronic illnesses and socio-demographic factors with health-related quality of life of older adults in Nigeria

Background: The increase in life expectancy has brought about a higher prevalence of chronic illnesses among older people. Objectives: To identify common chronic illnesses among older adults, to examine the influence of such conditions on their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), and to determine factors predicting their HRQoL. Method: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving 377 individuals aged 60 years and above who were selected using multi-stage sampling techniques in Olorunda Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising socio-demographic characteristics, chronic illnesses, and the World Health Organization quality of life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) containing physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environmental domains. Results: About half (51.5%) of the respondents reported at least one chronic illness which has lasted for 1–5 years (43.3%). The prevalence of hypertension was 36.1%, diabetes 13.9% and arthritis 13.4%. Respondents with chronic illness had significantly lower HRQoL overall and in the physical health, social relationships and the environmental domains (all p<0.05) compared to those without a chronic illness. Factors that predicted HRQoL include age, marital status, level of education, the presence of chronic illness and prognosis of the condition. Conclusion: This study concluded that chronic illness is prevalent in Nigerian older people and significantly influence their HRQoL. Age, marital status, and level of education were associated with HRQoL in this group.

Blended interventions to change behavior in Patients with Chronic Somatic Disorders

Blended behavior change interventions combine therapeutic guidance with online care. This new way of delivering health care is supposed to stimulate patients with chronic somatic disorders in taking an active role in their disease management. However, knowledge about the effectiveness of blended behavior change interventions and how they should be composed is scattered. This comprehensive systematic review aimed to provide an overview of characteristics and effectiveness of blended behavior change interventions for patients with chronic somatic disorders.

Generalized Hyperalgesia in children and adults diagnosed with Hypermobility Syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility type: a discriminative analysis

INTRODUCTION: Lowered pressure pain thresholds have been demonstrated in adults with Ehlers-Danlos Hypermobility type(EDS-HT), however it remains unclear if these findings are also present in children. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to: (1)determine if generalized hyperalgesia is present in Hypermobility syndrome (HMS)/EDS-HT children, (2)explore potential differences in pressure pain thresholds between HMS/EDS-HT children and adults, and (3)determine the discriminative value of generalized hyperalgesia.METHODS: Patients classified in one of three groups: HMS/EDS-HT, hypermobile (Beighton score ≥4/9) and healthy controls. Descriptive data of age, gender, body mass index, Beighton score, skin laxity and medication usage were collected. Generalized hyperalgesia was quantified by the averaged pressure pain thresholds collected from 12 locations. The following confounders were collected: pain locations/intensity, fatigue, psychological distress. Comparisons between HMS/EDS-HT children and normative values, between children and adults with HMS/EDS-HT, corrected confounders, were analysed with MANCOVA. The discriminative value of generalized hyperalgesia employed in order to differentiate between HMS/EDS-HT, hypermobile and controls was quantified with logistic regression.RESULTS: Significantly lower pressure pain thresholds were found in children with HMS/EDS-HT compared to normative values (range: -22.0% to -59.0%, p=<.05). When applying a threshold of 30.8 N/cm(2) for males and 29.0 N/cm(2) for females, the presence of generalized hyperalgesia discriminated between individuals with HMS/EDS-HT, hypermobile and healthy controls (odds ratio=6.0).CONCLUSION: Children and adults with HMS/EDS-HT are characterized by hypermobility, chronic pain, as well as generalized hyperalgesia. The presence of generalized hyperalgesia may indicate involvement of the central nervous system in the development of chronic pain. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.