Life beyond Loss: A Retrospective Analysis of the Impact of Meaning of Life Therapy on the Grieving Process of Cancer Patients' Family Caregivers.

Oncological disease in the palliative stage is a huge challenge for patients and their family caregivers (FCs) due to the fact that it confronts them with death, as well as physical, psychological, and existential suffering. Meaning of Life Therapy (MLT) is a brief structured psycho-existential intervention aiming to help patients in a meaning-making life review process, promoting end-of-life adaptation. The Life Letter (LL) resulting from MLT is an element that facilitates communication between the patient and their caregivers. The goal of this study was to understand the impact of MLT on the grieving processes of eight FCs and to study their perceptions of the role of the LL on grief through semi-structured interviews. The results of our qualitative analysis indicate that MLT was perceived by the FCs as a positive experience despite the conspiracy of silence being identified as a drawback. The LL was interpreted as a communicational element, promoting emotional closeness with the cancer patients and serving as a valuable tool in the FCs' adaptation to loss. Our research findings show that the needs of FCs, especially after experiencing the loss of their relative, are dynamic and specific. This is why it is urgent to develop interventions that consider the idiosyncrasies of end-of-life cancer patients and their FCs in order to avoid frustrated farewells, lonely deaths, and maladaptive grieving processes. This is the direction in which MLT should evolve.

Effect of online Kundalini Yoga mental health of university students during Covid-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial.

University students were at an increased risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a randomized controlled trial, we examined the efficacy of an online Kundalini Yoga intervention on students' psychological functioning. Healthy university students (N = 106) were randomly assigned to a Kundalini Yoga group, an active control group, or a passive control group in a 1:1:1 ratio. The experimental group attended six Yoga sessions over 6 weeks and the active control group attended to six autogenic relaxation sessions over 6 weeks. All participants completed the study protocol, which involved answering questionnaires related to psychological distress, emotion regulation, self-compassion, self-concept, spiritual well-being, and subjective happiness at three different time points: baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at 1-month follow-up. Results showed that Yoga contributed to improving self-compassion, extrinsic affect improving, and personal and communal spiritual well-being, in comparison to the control groups.

Meaning of Life Therapy: A Pilot Study of a Novel Psycho-Existential Intervention for Palliative Care in Cancer.

Intervention in Palliative Care aims to provide physical, psychosocial, and spiritual relief for patients and family members. Brief interventions with a psycho-existential approach have shown positive responses; however, cultural adaptations are needed. This pilot study aimed to develop the Meaning of Life Therapy (MLT), a novel psycho-existential intervention, rooted in the Dignity Therapy, Life Review, and Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy. MLT was culturally adapted to the Portuguese context to include questions about forgiveness, apology, reconciliation, farewell, and a legacy document, i.e., the Life Letter. Nine PC cancer patients answered a 14-question MLT protocol, intended to help patients find purpose and meaning in life. Eight themes emerged: Family, Preservation of Identity, Life Retrospective, Clinical Situation, Achievements, Socio-Professional Valorization, Forgiveness/Apology/Reconciliation, and Saying Goodbye. MLT has proved its ability to respond to the psycho-existential needs of PC patients. Further studies should be conducted to gain extensive knowledge of the effectiveness of culturally responsive interventions.

Assessment of the Therapeutic Evolution of Psychiatric Patients through Rorschach Psychodiagnosis / Avaliação da Evolução Terapêutica de Doentes Psiquiátricos através do Psicodiagnóstico de Rorschach

Abstract The present work aims to constitute an important contribution to the scientific proof of the effectiveness of psychiatric and psychotherapeutic interventions, through the Rorschach test. A clinical sample of 10 psychiatric patients, admitted and followed at the Day Hospital of a psychiatric hospital in the North of Portugal, where the psychoanalytic orientation intervention model is followed. The data were collected in two moments: upon admission, a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and Rorschach's projective proof were applied; after three months of treatment, Rorschach was re-applied, followed by a survey of exclusion criteria and patient evaluation on the therapeutic program.The comparative analysis of the data showed a slight therapeutic evolution and personality functioning.

Resumo O presente trabalho objetiva constituir um contributo de relevo para a comprovação científica da eficácia das intervenções psiquiátricas e psicoterapêuticas, através do teste de Rorschach. Participou no estudo uma amostra clínica de 10 doentes psiquiátricos, admitidos e seguidos no Hospital de Dia de um hospital psiquiátrico da zona norte de Portugal, onde é seguido o modelo de intervenção de orientação psicanalítica. Os dados foram recolhidos em dois momentos: quando da admissão, tendo sido aplicados um questionário sociodemográfico e clínico e a prova projetiva de Rorschach; após três meses de tratamento, procedeu-se à nova aplicação do Rorschach, seguida de um questionário de despiste de critérios de exclusão e avaliação do doente sobre o programa terapêutico. A análise comparativa dos dados permitiu constatar uma ligeira evolução terapêutica e do funcionamento da personalidade.

Brief emotional screening in oncology: Specificity and sensitivity of the emotion thermometers in the Portuguese cancer population.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the cutoff and the specificity and sensitivity of the Emotion Thermometers (ET) in a Portuguese sample of cancer patients. METHOD: A total of 147 patients (mean age = 49.2; SD = 12.6) completed the ET, the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Subjective Experiences of Illness Suffering Inventory. Data were collected in a cancer support institution and in a major hospital in the North of Portugal. RESULT: The optimal cutoff for the Anxiety Thermometer was 5v6 (until 5 and 6 or more), which identified 74% of the BSI-anxiety cases and 70% of noncases. The Depression Thermometer cutoff was 4v5 (until 4 and 5 or more), which identified 85% of BSI-depression cases and 82% of noncases. Cutoff for the Anger Thermometer was 4v5 (until 4 and 5 or more), which identified 83% of BSI-hostility cases and 73% of noncases; for the Distress Thermometer, the optimal cutoff was 4v5 (until 4 and 5 or more), which identified 84% of the suffering cases and 73% of noncases. Finally, for the Help Thermometer, it was 3v4 (until 3 and 4 or more), which helped to identify 93% of the suffering cases and 64% of noncases. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Results supported the Portuguese version of the ET as an important screening tool for identifying the emotional distress in cancer patients.

The impact of informal cancer caregiving: A literature review on psychophysiological studies.

Caregiving can be experienced as a stressful process, which can cause psychological and physical consequences. The combination of prolonged stress and the physical demands of caregiving may impair the physiological functioning of caregivers and increase the risk of health problems creating considerable stress in the life of caregivers regarding emotional, physical, social and financial areas. This literature review explored studies that used measures of the autonomic nervous system in caregivers of oncology patients such as electrodermal and cardiovascular (re)activity. The results revealed that caregivers had elevated stress levels and a serious autonomic imbalance that may, in the long term, trigger negative health consequences such as infectious diseases, cancer progression, cardiovascular disease and even premature death. The results showed the need to carry out preventive strategies in this population, in order to improve the autonomic profile of caregivers of cancer patients.