Suicidal ideation in people with multiple sclerosis and its association with coping self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND: Chronic neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS), is a significant risk factor for psychological distress, which can result in suicidal behaviour. Suicidal ideation (SI) is considered a harbinger of suicide-related mortality. However, so far, little is known about the role of protective factors against SI in MS. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the association between coping self-efficacy and SI when controlled for sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, sleep-related problems, and depression. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 162 people with MS, was predominantly female (75.9 %), the mean age was 40.9 ± 11.4 years, the mean disease duration was 11.7 ± 7.1 years, and the mean functional disability score was 3.55 ± 1.1. We used the Coping Self-Efficacy scale (CSE), the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). Multiple linear regressions were utilized to statistically analyse the data. RESULTS: All assessed coping self-efficacy dimensions were significantly associated with SI in MS when controlled for sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, sleep-related problems, and depression. Furthermore, all assessed coping self-efficacy dimensions were able to alleviate the negative association between income, depression and SI. CONCLUSION: People with MS may significantly benefit from psychological support aimed at promoting coping self-efficacy and utilization of various coping strategies. Problem-focused coping, coping focused on getting support, and coping focused on stopping unpleasant thoughts and feelings seem to have comparable associations with SI, and thus interventions aimed at empowering any of these dimensions may be beneficial in diminishing the severity of SI.

Facilitators and barriers to behavior change in overweight and obesity management using the COM-B model.

Introduction: Increasing overweight and obesity rates represent one of the global public health challenges. COM-B is a theoretical model used to identify areas to target to achieve behavior change. It identifies three factors that are needed for any behavior to occur: capability, opportunity, and motivation. We aimed to assess the potential facilitators and barriers to behavior change in weight management using the COM-B. Methods: The study included 139 people with overweight and obesity (mean age 48.81 ± 14.49 years; 64.5% female; body mass index 32.64 ± 6.51 kg/m2; waist-to-height ratio 0.62 ± 0.10) from primary care settings. All participants completed the Brief Measure of Behavior Change (COM-B), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSE), and the Overall Evaluation of Health (OEH). Multiple linear regression was performed to analyse the data. Results: The associations between sociodemographic and clinical variables and COM-B domains attenuated or were no longer significant when psychological resources were added to the regression models. Self-efficacy was identified as a stronger facilitator of health behavior change (p < 0.001) when compared to self-esteem (p < 0.05). No associations between automatic motivation and psychological resources were identified, however. Automatic motivation was found to be associated with higher age, being in a relationship, and better health. Discussion: Behavioral interventions for weight management should specifically target different components of COM-B. Self-efficacy and self-esteem may play a significant role in individual capabilities, opportunities, and reflective motivation and should be included in tailored public health interventions. Health programs targeting younger and single people, and people with chronic conditions may help to promote sustainable behavior change.

A comparison of social prescribing approaches across twelve high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: Social prescribing connects patients with community resources to improve their health and well-being. It is gaining momentum globally due to its potential for addressing non-medical causes of illness while building on existing resources and enhancing overall health at a relatively low cost. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the need for policy interventions to address health-related social issues such as loneliness and isolation. AIM: This paper presents evidence of the conceptualisation and implementation of social prescribing schemes in twelve countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, the Netherlands, the United States and Wales. METHODS: Twelve countries were identified through the Health Systems and Policy Monitor (HSPM) network and the EuroHealthNet Partnership. Information was collected through a twelve open-ended question survey based on a conceptual model inspired by the WHO's Health System Framework. RESULTS: We found that social prescribing can take different forms, and the scale of implementation also varies significantly. Robust evidence on impact is scarce and highly context-specific, with some indications of cost-effectiveness and positive impact on well-being. CONCLUSIONS: This paper provides insights into social prescribing in various contexts and may guide countries interested in holistically tackling health-related social factors and strengthening community-based care. Policies can support a more seamless integration of social prescribing into existing care, improve collaboration among sectors and training programs for health and social care professionals.

Social participation of rheumatoid arthritis patients: Does illness perception play a role?

OBJECTIVE: Social participation is an important aspect associated with health-related outcomes in chronic diseases. However, little is known about the factors that may affect participation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to examine whether pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and illness perception are associated with social participation in patients with RA when controlled for clinical and sociodemographic variables. We also analysed the mediating role of illness perception in the association between physical and psychological variables on social participation. METHOD: We included 157 RA patients (84.7% females; mean age 56.4 ± 13.9 years) who completed the Participation Scale, Brief Illness Perception Questionaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, 36-item Short Form Health Survey, and the Visual Analogue Scale. Multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: In the final regression models, illness perception (ß = .42; p ≤ .001) and functional disability (ß = .21; p ≤ .05) were associated with social participation. Income (ß = -.18; p ≤ .05) lost its significance when physical variables were added to the model, and pain (ß = .24; p ≤ .05) and fatigue (ß = -.24; p ≤ .05) when psychological distress was added. No significant role of anxiety, depression, disease activity, or age was identified using regression analyses. Illness perception mediated the association of pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression with social participation, and the indirect effect varied from 65% to 98%. CONCLUSIONS: Illness perceptions may significantly diminish the impacts of pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression on social participation in individual RA patients. Therefore, RA patients could benefit from psychological interventions aimed at tackling negative illness perceptions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A cross-sectional study of multidimensional fatigue in biologic-treated rheumatoid arthritis: which variables play a role?

PURPOSE: Despite efficient biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients still suffer from high fatigue. This study aims to further our knowledge by assessing severity levels of the various fatigue dimensions and their associations with pain, sleep quality, and psychological well-being in bDMARDs treated RA patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 146 RA patients (84.9% females; mean age 56.6 ± 13.6 years), who completed the MFI-20, SF-36, PSQI, GAD-7 and PHQ-9. Correlation analyses and multiple linear regressions were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: General fatigue was the highest reported type of fatigue, followed by physical fatigue dimensions. In the final regression model, pain and disability were significantly associated with physical fatigue (p ≤ 0.001, p ≤ 0.05, respectively) and reduced activity (p ≤ 0.01, p ≤ 0.05, respectively). Anxiety was significantly associated with mental fatigue (p ≤ 0.05) and reduced motivation (p ≤ 0.01). Regression analyses showed no significant associations between depression, sleep quality, and fatigue in any of the final models. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that effectively addressing fatigue in RA patients requires an individualized approach. This approach should acknowledge the varying degrees of fatigue across different fatigue dimensions (physical or mental), while also taking into account the patient's mental health problems, pain levels, and disability levels.

despite the high prevalence of fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the patients reported that 79% of healthcare professionals do not assess fatigue during visits; therefore, a measure of fatigue should be a part of routine medical examinationsrehabilitation professionals should evaluate multidimensional fatigue, which seems to be more informative than a single measure of severitydevelopment and use of an effective individual non-pharmacological management program, based on an understanding of the variables associated with multidimensional fatigue may help in improving the quality of life of patients with RA.

Social support, positive caregiving experience, and caregiver burden in informal caregivers of older adults with dementia.

Introduction: Dementia is currently one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older adults worldwide. Cognitive dysfunction, neuropsychiatric symptoms, somatic complaints, and functional impairment fundamentally affect not only a person living with dementia (PLwD), but also his/her informal caregiver(s), often resulting in a high caregiver burden. A number of variables, including the caregiver's sociodemographic characteristics, the clinical characteristics of PLwD, social support, and the caregiver's personal resources determine the caregiver's burden. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of caregiver burden in informal caregivers of PLwD with perceived social support, positive caregiving experience, and applying therapeutic communication methods. Methods: The data were collected from September 2021 to February 2022 among 115 "PLwD-informal caregiver" dyads in the community settings in Slovakia. Measures included the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-12), the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), the Positive Aspects of Caregiving Scale (PACS), and two questions on applying therapeutic communication methods-reminiscence and validation according to Naomi Feil. The Short IQCODE was used for assessing cognitive decline in PLwD. Pearson's and Spearman's correlations, t-tests, Chi-square, ANOVA, and linear multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data (IBM SPSS 27). Results: The mean age of informal caregivers was 54 ± 12.4 years (81.7% of women) and the mean caregiving duration was 4.8 ± 4.8 years. The mean age of PLwD was 80.5 ± 8.3 years (73.0% of women) and their Short IQCODE mean score was 4.1 ± 1.0. Lower caregiving burden was significantly associated with higher perceived social support (ß = 0.33, p < 0.01), with higher positive caregiving experience (ß = 0.33, p < 0.01), and higher caregiving intensity (ß = 0.24, p < 0.05) among informal caregivers of PLwD. The associations between caregiver burden and applying two therapeutic communication methods were not significant. Conclusions: Implementing psycho-social and educational public health interventions focused on strengthening social support and maintaining positive perceptions of caregiving can help reduce the increased risk of caregiver burden in informal caregivers of older adults with dementia.

Strategies to improve health status among adults with multimorbidity: A scoping review.

Although public health and medical care advancements have enabled an increased lifespan among many populations around the world, there is an ongoing need to enhance the health span of adults and older adults. Due to the increasingly substantial prevalence of multiple chronic conditions, also known as multimorbidity, this scoping review aims to identify and describe the current literature on programs or interventions to improve the health status of and to prevent further chronic conditions among adults and older adults who are already living with multimorbidity. Of the 2898 articles identified from a search of PubMed and Embase, 72 underwent full-text screening and 14 were included in the review. A total of 8 articles included both adult and older adult participants, while 6 articles involved only participants who were older adults. The articles reported a variety of settings, components and key outcomes, and reported varying degrees of success in improving the health status of the participants. Some of the interventions were tailored to a specific population such as individuals receiving home care services, nursing home residents or individuals who were living with obesity along with multiple co-occurring conditions. While many interventions involved dimensions of physical activity and healthy eating to improve health status, many interventions also utilized a combination of components to enhance the impact of the initiative. Overall, this scoping review highlights the literature and the continued need for multifaceted research that can help inform future programs and policies to support individuals living with multimorbidity.

Commercial determinants of non-communicable diseases: the imperative for a systems approach

The increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) challenges conventional approaches to public health. The struggle to curb preventable NCDs persists due to narrow reductionist biomedical paradigms and the influence of corporate actors in shaping unhealthy environments, a concept known as the commercial determinants of health. This phenomenon, amplified by globalisation, affects health through various factors. To promote global well-being, commercial entities must be incentivised to shift from profit-driven models to socially and environmentally responsible practices. This shift demands adherence to regulations preventing harm and support for public health policies, urging a systemic understanding of NCDs as outcomes of complex systems.

25 years of collaboration between EUPHA and the Observatory

The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies was founded in 1998 at a time of transition, from communism in Eastern Europe and to new means of paying for and delivering healthcare everywhere. Since then, Europe has confronted both longstanding challenges and new ones, including wars, the financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change. The Observatory and the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) have collaborated to address these public health challenges. Looking ahead, there is much to be done together to transform health systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis and its association with illness perception and self-esteem.

BACKGROUND: Illness perception and self-esteem were found to improve adjustment to disease in many chronic conditions. However, so far, little is known about the role of illness-appraisal and self-appraisal factors in psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thus, we aimed to assess the association between illness perception, self-esteem and psychological well-being in people with MS while controlling for sociodemographic variables, clinical variables, and sleep-related problems. METHODS: The General Health Questionnaire-28, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Scale of Self-esteem, the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory were used. Multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses were utilized to analyse the data. RESULTS: Positive illness perception (p<0.001) and self-esteem (p<0.05) were significantly associated with psychological well-being in MS. Low income (p<0.05) and sleep-related problems (p<0.001) were significantly associated with lower level of psychological well-being in people with MS. Positive illness perception and self-esteem were able to diminish the association between low income (p>0.05), poor sleep quality (p<0.01), fatigue (p>0.05), and low level of psychological well-being. Self-esteem also mediated the association between illness perception and psychological well-being. DISCUSSION: People with MS may benefit from psychological support aimed at promoting self-esteem and diminishing negative illness perception.

Self-management, self-esteem and their associations with psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Optimal self-management seem to be protective factor of health-related quality of life and psychological well-being in many chronic conditions. However, the results in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are still inconclusive. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the associations between self-management, self-esteem and psychological well-being in people with MS when controlled for sociodemographic and clinical variables. METHODS: A total of 165 people with MS filled in The Multiple Sclerosis Self-Management Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, and General Health Questionnaire-28, to assess main variables under study. Functional status was measured by Kurtzke disability Status Scale. RESULTS: We found significant associations between self-esteem and somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression. Explained variance of the models ranged from 16% to 38% for somatic symptoms and severe depression, respectively. Self-management significantly contributed to the explained variance in all models sans GHQ social dysfunction. Self-esteem was significant contributor to overall variance in all models. DISCUSSION: According to our results, self-management and self-esteem were found to be associated with multiple domains of psychological well-being. These findings may be used in neurological practice, to help people with MS who report psychological distress in one or more domains.

Posttraumatic growth after earthquake: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) represents a positive personal change after adverse events, such as natural disasters, including earthquake. However, the association between exposure to earthquake and level of PTG is still unknown. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analyses (MA) is to assess the level of PTG in people exposed to earthquake. METHODS: Studies were identified via Scopus, PsycInfo, Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, ProQuest, Cochran Library, Ovid, Google Scholar, OpenGrey, congress, and conferences research papers. The level of PTG was presented as mean and standard deviation. Subgroup analyses were conducted to control for the amount of time that had passed since stressor onset and age of the study population. The meta-regression was used to explore the sources of between-study heterogeneity, including sample size and age. RESULTS: The MA of all 21 studies using no restrictions related to age and time of the PTG measurement since traumatic event showed low level of PTG (41.71; 95%CI = 34.26; 49.16, I2: 62.44%, p: .000). Subgroup analyses controlled for the age demonstrated that level of PTG was higher in adults (49.47; 95% CI = 42.35; 56.58, I2: 0%, p = .466) when compared to children and adolescents (35.38; 95% CI = 23.65; 47.11, I2: 69.09%, p < .00). Moreover, the pooled weight mean of PTG measured 1 year and less than 1 year since the earthquake varied between medium (46.04; 95%CI = 34.45; 57.63, I2:51.2%, p: .037) and high (59.03; 95%CI = 41.46; 76.41, I2: 0%, p: .990) levels, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of our MA showed low level of PTG in earthquake survivors. However, the mean value of PTG in adults was higher when compared to children and adolescents. In addition, the mean PTG was found to decrease over time since traumatic events.

Sexual functioning in patients with multiple sclerosis and its association with social support and self-esteem.

Sexual dysfunction is very commonly reported by people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, this problem often remains under-diagnosed and under-treated. Furthermore, still very little is known about protective psychosocial factors that may help to improve sexual functioning in MS patients. Thus, we aimed to assess the associations between social support, self-esteem and sexual functioning in MS patients when controlled for clinical and sociodemographic variables. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Rosenberg Scale of Self-esteem (RSE) were used to assess the independent variables. Sexual functioning was assessed by the Incapacity Status Scale (ISS). We found a significant association between social support and sexual functioning (p = 0.01). However, this association attenuated (p < 0.05) when self-esteem (p < 0.01) was added to the model. Furthermore, we found that sexual dysfunction in MS patients was associated with older age (p < 0.001). Self-esteem was associated with sexual functioning more strongly compared to social support and sexual functioning, even though both of these variables were associated with sexual functioning as well. Our findings support the biopsychosocial model of treatment of sexual dysfunction in MS patients.