Examining illness perceptions over time: an exploratory prospective analysis of causal attributions in individuals with depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND: According to the Common-Sense Model of Illness Representations, illness beliefs, such as causal attributions, can influence the way people assess and cope with their illness and vice versa. To date, causal attributions in people with depressive symptoms have been studied mainly cross-sectionally, quantitatively and independently. The purpose of this study is to examine the causal attributions of people with depressive symptoms in terms of their stability over time, dependence on treatment experience, and differentiation of causal concepts. METHODS: In a population-based prospective sample, people with at least mild depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 Score ≥ 5) were interviewed via telephone at T0 and twelve months later (T1). Causal attributions were assessed using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. After the open responses were qualitatively analysed using a deductive-inductive approach, stability over time was assessed for causal attributions and concepts by comparing answers between the two time points. Subsequent exploratory quantitative analyses were conducted using chi-square tests, t-tests, and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 471 individuals (age M = 53.9, 53.6% female) with a mean PHQ-9 Score of 8.4 were included in the analyses. Causal attributions related to participants' social environment, workplace, and past are the most stable over time. However, individuals with and without a time-stable causal concept showed no differences in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, severity of depressive symptoms, risk of comorbidity, and treatment experiences. Overall, the causal concepts of people with depressive symptoms appear to be very diverse. Those with treatment experience (M = 2.21, SD = 0.80) named significantly more causal attributions compared to people without treatment experience (M = 1.98, SD = 0.81, t(471) = -3.060, p < 0.01). In addition, logistic regression analyses revealed that treatment-experienced respondents were more likely to attribute "childhood/youth/parental home" and "predisposition". CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that people with treatment experience tend to report treatment-congruent causal attributions, such as childhood and family environment, as well as predisposition, more frequently. Understanding how causal attributions and concepts are formed and change can be helpful for addressing causal attributions in treatment. Future studies should take into account the benefits of employing qualitative survey methods for exploring causal attributions.

Psychological burden and coping in destination therapy patients with a left ventricular assist device: A qualitative content analysis.

BACKGROUND: Due to an increasing prevalence of heart failure and persistent shortage of donor hearts, the number of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantations is growing. As more patients live with LVADs for prolonged periods of time, psychosocial outcomes are becoming more relevant. This particularly applies to destination therapy (DT) patients, who live with the LVAD for the rest of their lives. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional qualitative design to explore psychological burden, coping strategies, and resources from the perspective of DT patients. Data were collected via semi-structured in-depth interviews with 18 patients who lived with the LVAD for 3 months to over 10 years. These were analyzed using an inductive content analysis. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to the recruitment strategy and data collection strategies of the original study protocol were applied. Patients and clinicians were involved throughout the research process to ensure the validity of the results and implications. RESULTS: We synthesized 10 psychosocial, health, and treatment-related burdens and identified 15 problem- and emotion-focused coping strategies and 5 personal and environmental resources patients used to cope with the burden. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide deeper insights into the complex and specific situation of LVAD patients to better address the patient situation in health care and promote positive psychosocial outcomes. So far, health care practice and quality vary significantly between clinics due to individual treatment protocols. Our results highlight the need to improve medical and psychosocial care. Overarching care concepts may be developed based on the implications.

Apart from the Medical Complaints, Why do Patients Use Emergency Medical Services? Results of a Patient Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Many countries face an increased use of emergency medical services (EMS) with a decreasing percentage of life-threatening complaints. Though there is a broad discussion among experts about the cause, patients' self-perceived, non-medical reasons for using EMS remain largely unknown. METHODS: The written survey included EMS patients who had≥1 case of prehospital emergency care in 2016. Four German health insurance companies sent out postal questionnaires to 1312 insured patients. The response rate was 20%; 254 questionnaires were eligible for descriptive and interferential analyses (t-tests, chi2-tests, logistic models). RESULTS: The majority of respondents indicated that their EMS use was due to an emergency or someone else's decision (≥84%; multiple checks allowed); 56% gave need for a quick transport as a reason. Other frequently stated reasons addressed the health care system (e. g., complaints outside of physicians' opening hours) and insecurity/anxiety about one's state of health (>45% of the respondents). "Social factors" were similarly important (e. g., 42% affirming, "No one could give me a ride to the emergency department or doctor's office."). Every fifth person had contact with other emergency care providers prior to EMS use. Respondents negating an emergency as a reason were less likely to confirm wanting immediate medical care on site or quick transports compared to those affirming an emergency. Patients using EMS at night more often denied having an emergency compared to patients with access to care during the day. CONCLUSION: The study identified a bundle of reasons leading to EMS use apart from medical complaints. Attempts for needs-oriented EMS use should essentially include optimization of the health care and social support system and measures to reduce patients' insecurity.

Influence of established and subjectively perceived as well as evaluated individual characteristics on the utilization of mental health services among individuals with depressive disorders: protocol of a longitudinal study examining how to supplement the "behavioral model of health services use" and on need-congruent use of mental health services.

BACKGROUND: Approximately one out of every three people in Germany who meets the diagnostic criteria for major depression has contact with mental health services. Therefore, according to treatment guidelines, two thirds of all individuals with depression are insufficiently treated. In the past, the subjective perspective of people who (do not) make use of mental health services has been neglected. Factors related to the use of health services are described in Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (ABM). The aim of this study is to supplement operationalizations of subjectively perceived and evaluated individual characteristics in the ABM and to evaluate whether the supplemented model can better explain mental health services use in individuals with depression than established operationalizations. METHODS: A representative telephone study with two measurement points will be conducted. In an explanatory mixed-methods design, qualitative interviews will be added to further interpret the quantitative data. A nationwide sample scoring 5 or more on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) will be recruited and interviewed via telephone at T0 and 12 months later (T1). Data on established and subjective characteristics as well as mental health service use will be collected. At T1, conducting a diagnostic interview (Composite International Diagnostic Interview, DIA-X-12/M-CIDI) enables the recording of 12-month diagnoses according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Ideally, n = 768 datasets will be available and analyzed descriptively by means of regression analysis. Up to n = 32 persons who use or do not use depression-specific health services incongruent with their objective or subjective needs will be interviewed (face-to-face) to better explain their behavior. In addition, theories of non-need-based mental health service use are developed within the framework of the grounded theory-based analysis of the qualitative interviews. DISCUSSION: The study intends to contribute to the theoretical foundation of health services research and to specify the characteristics described in the ABM. Thus, after completion of the study, a further sophisticated and empirically tested model will be available to explain mental health services. The identified modifiable influencing factors are relevant for the development of strategies to increase mental health service use in line with the objective and subjective needs of individuals with depression.