Partners in adversity V: Support,personality and coping behaviour at the time of crisis

This paper presents further results from a study of married women in Edinburgh who had just suffered an adverse experience: either their husband's non-fatal myocardial infartion, their husband's death or their own arrival in a Women's Aid refuge for battered women. Interviews were carried out 4–6 weeks following the adverse experience and, where possible, again approximately 3 months later. Symptoms were assessed using the 30-item General Health Questionnaire and criterion-based measures of depression and anxiety derived from it. The extent and nature of crisis support from household members and from groups of people outside the household, and also of failures in expected support, was measured at first interview. A modified version of Tyrer and Alexander's (1979) personality schedule was administered at the follow-up interview, and the resulting personality data were then reduced to six factors using principal components analysis. An interviewer assessment of how well the subject was coping was made at both interviews. The vast majority of the sample received extensive practical and emotional support from family and friends, and perhaps because such positive support was so prevalent, variations in it seemed to have little effect on symptoms. However, subjects who were unexpectedly let down or criticised by friends or family tended to show higher symptom levels, although, surprisingly, this was less true for the bereaved wives than for the others. The six personality factors that emerged were labellednervousness (similar to neuroticism)impulsivity, social withdrawal, helplessness, inferiority andaggressiveness. There was evidence that subjects high on nervousness remained symptomatic longer following the adverse experience. The aggressiveness factor showed a curvilinear trend with high and low aggressives showing higher symptom levels than middle aggressives. However, for the coronary wives the trend was linear with low aggressives having high symptoms. Subjects low on impulsivity were more affected by being let down by friends and family. The interviewer-assessed coping measure was linearly related to nervousness and showed a curvilinear relationship with aggressiveness.     

Stress, attachment and skin diseases: a case-control study

Objectives In this case-control study we tested the hypothesis of an association between some psychosomatic skin diseases, attachment style and stress. Patients and methods A total of 177 cases and 194 controls seen between November 1992 and November 1993 at the Istituto Dermopatico dell'lmmacolata (IDD) in Rome, were enrolled into the study. Cases were outpatients with first diagnosis of hyperidrosis, chronic urticaria, generalized pruritus or alopecia areata. Controls were outpatients seen in the same period of time with first diagnosis of pigmenled nevi, keratosis or mycosis. The presence and weight of life stress events were assessed by u standard precoded questionnaire based on the Schedule of Recent Experiences (SRE) and on the Life Experiences Survey (LES). The attachment style was assessed by a modified version of the Shaver and Hazan questionnaire about feelings in a love relationship. We calculated 3 scores for each individual and classified study subjects in 2 groups: 1) "free" (= secure attachment); 2) "not free" (not secure attachment: anxious-ambivalent or avoidant). Questionnaires were self-administered in the presence of a trained psychologist. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated using a multiple logistic function. Results No association was found between the different stress scores and the skin diseases considered. The crude odds ratio for life stress events in the previous year was 1.4 (95% CI 0.8–2.7). After multiple adjustment for age, sex, marital status and education, the estimated OR was 1.6 (95% CI 0.8–3.0). One significant association emerged between the adult attachment style defined as “not free” and psychosomatic skin diseases: the adjusted OR was 4.0 (95% CI 1.4–12).     

重庆市交通警察截缩寿命研究

对重庆市交通警察1988～1997 年全死因和去死因截缩寿命进行了分析,结果显示:15 岁组平均期望寿命53.18 岁,较重庆市七区居民(1989 年)低4.1 岁,平均死亡年龄为56.53 岁,寿命损失量随年龄增加而增大。主要死因顺位为恶性肿瘤、心脑血管疾病和意外死亡(以车祸为主)。经研究表明,改善交警工作环境,延长交警寿命的任务还很艰巨     

Creative versus repetitive dance therapies to reduce the impact of fibromyalgia and pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and purposePhysical exercise is one of the most effective interventions to reduce fibromyalgia symptoms. Previous studies have reported benefits of dance-based intervention on the fibromyalgia impact, health-related quality of life and pain, regardless the interventions were based on creative- or repetitive dance. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of creative and repetitive dance interventions.MethodsPRISMA guidelines were followed in this systematic review. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Trip, Google Scholar, Web of Science (WOS), Embase and Scopus databases were selected to identify potential articles. Studies were included if they met the following inclusion criteria: to be a clinical trial or a randomized controlled trial, include people with fibromyalgia, have a comparison group and evaluate the impact of the disease, pain or quality of life. Fifteen articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool.ResultsDance-based interventions significantly reduced fibromyalgia impact (standardized mean difference = −0.69), pain (standardized mean difference = −0.70 and increased quality of life (standardized mean difference = 0.43) of people with fibromyalgia. The effectiveness of dance interventions is increased when a creative component is added, since it can lead to higher improvements in pain, impact of the disease and improving quality of life.ConclusionDance-based interventions are significantly effective in reducing the impact of fibromyalgia, pain as well as increasing health-related quality of life. Subgroup analyses suggest that creative dance-based interventions could be more effective than repetitive dance-based interventions to reduce pain and fibromyalgia impact. However, results must be taken with caution due to the large heterogeneity and the small number of articles.     

化疗在晚期肺腺癌治疗中的作用

目的：探索晚期肺腺癌患者化疗疗效和对化疗的耐受性,化疗后生活质量变化和生存期。材料与方法：回顾分析1992－11~1995-04,经病理确诊为肺腺癌。按UICC分期为Ⅲb、Ⅳ期,Kamofsky评分≥60,连续完成2程以上的以铂类药物为主的联合化疗方案治疗患者。结果：化疗有效率3．1％,化疗后Kamofskv评分不变者43．8％,升高40．6％。下降≥10分15．6％,Ⅲb期中位生存期13月,Ⅳ期10月。结论：全身状况较好无化疗禁忌证的晚期肺腺癌患者,给予适当的联合化疗可使部分患者病情改善,生活质量提高。     

Quality of life of stroke survivors

Adaptation to stroke requires complex, long-term change in stroke survivors' lives. This study aimed at identifying those factors that influence quality of life (QOL) of geriatric stroke survivors 1–3 years post-discharge. The objectives were: to describe the overall quality of life of stroke survivors; to examine the relationships between sociodemographic variables, neurological variables, functional status, social support, perceived health status, depression, and overall QOL; and to determine the best predictors of QOL. Data were collected on 50 stroke survivors using a cross-sectional design and standardized questionnaires, including the Quality of Life Index, the Functional Independence Measure, the Social Support Inventory for Stroke Survivors and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The overall quality of life of the study participants was low. The most important predictors of QOL were depression, marital status, quality of social support, and functional status. Depression was the strongest predictor of QOL. By employing a multi-dimensional perspective, this study confirmed that adaptation to stroke involves much more than physical function. Thus, rehabilitation programs for this group would be more effective if they are based upon a holistic approach.     

Evaluation of patient's Health-Related Quality of Life using a modified and shortened version of the Living With Asthma Questionnaire (ms-LWAQ) and the medical outcomes study, Short-Form 36 (SF-36)

Objective: The specific objectives of this study were to: 1) study the effect of moderate-to-severe asthma on patient's Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and 2) evaluate the construct validity of a modified and shortened version of the Living With Asthma Questionnaire (ms-LWAQ) using the SF-36 as a concomitant measure of HRQoL. Methods: Cross-sectional, telephone or mail surveys of asthmatic patients enrolled in two central Florida managed care organizations. Results: All subscales of the SF-36 and four subscales of the ms-LWAQ demonstrated adequate reliability in this population (Cronbach >0.72). The subscales of the SF-36 most affected by patient's asthma were: general health perceptions, vitality and physical role functioning. These three subscales were correlated with four subscales of the ms-LWAQ: consequences, seriousness, affect and leisure. Six of the eight SF-36 subscales and all of the ms-LWAQ subscales were associated with patient's emergency department and hospital utilization. Conclusion: The ms-LWAQ and SF-36 are valid as useful measures of asthma patient's HRQoL in this cross-sectional study. Severity of disease, as measured by health care utilization, was significantly associated with HRQoL.     

利用多种指标对哈尔滨市人群生命质量的评价

采用多种指标综合分析 ,对哈尔滨市区的人群生命质量进行了评价     

70岁以上离休干部卫生保健的相关性调查

目的了解70岁以上离休干部生活质量及其影响因素,为制订相应的卫生保健措施提供科学依据。方法采用问卷调查和体格检查相结合的方法,对济南部队3所干休所109名70岁以上离休干部进行调查。数据用STATA7.0软件包分析。结果本次调查表明,本组70岁以上离休干部生活质量良、中、差分别占21.10%、60.55%、18.35%。在调查的19种因素中,主要影响因素顺次为:生活习惯、健康状况、体检状况、日常生活功能、年龄、独居或与家人同住、生活满意度、社会交往、心理健康、婚姻、家庭和睦情况。结论70岁以上离休干部的生活质量较差,应针对其影响因素制定相应的医疗保健措施,提高离休老年人的生活质量和健康水平。     

"乳癌术后方"对乳腺癌患者生活质量影响的临床研究

为评价“乳癌术后方”对 35 8例乳腺癌患者生活质量的影响。采用欧洲癌症治疗研究组织生活质量核心量表E ORTCQLQ -C30 ,对 35 8例乳腺癌患者运用“乳癌术后方”治疗前后分别进行问卷调查 ,并设对照组 96例。结果“乳癌术后方”治疗 6个月 ,临床症状明显改善 ,与对照组比较 ,P <0 0 5 ;患者生理功能、情感功能、认识功能等都有不同程度的提高 ;生活质量总评价各项治疗前后有明显改变 ,与对照组比较 ,P <0 0 5。提示该方能明显提高乳腺癌患者的生活质量 ,有很好的临床应用价值。