Psychosocial factors associated with coping of inpatient stroke survivors and family caregivers: A dyadic analysis.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: Stroke survivors' and their family caregivers' (stroke dyads) coping during the inpatient period can affect their short- and long-term health and well-being. This study aimed to investigate whether survivors' and caregivers' psychosocial factors (i.e., depression, anxiety, family functioning, and mutuality) were associated with their own and their counterparts' perceptions of family coping among inpatient stroke dyads. RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was adopted for this study which included 162 stroke dyads. Family coping, depression, anxiety, family functioning, and mutuality were measured using the Family Crisis-Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, General Functioning subscale of Family Assessment Device, and Mutuality Scale, respectively. The actor-partner interdependence model estimated by path analysis was performed for the dyadic data. RESULTS: The results revealed that survivors' own (depression: ß = -0.337, p < .001) and their counterparts' (caregivers' anxiety: ß = -0.220, p = .021) psychological symptoms were negatively associated with survivors' perceptions of family coping, whereas none of them were associated with caregivers' perceptions of family coping. Moreover, higher family functioning reported by the survivors (ß = -0.375, p < .001) and family caregivers (ß = -0.195, p = .029) were associated with better family coping perceived by both counterparts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This study highlights that stroke dyads' psychosocial factors play a vital role in their perceptions of family coping. Future studies can be conducted to develop coping-focused interventions from the dyadic or family-oriented approach regarding psychosocial states as potential targets for inpatient stroke dyads. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The sleep patterns and their associations with mental health among nursing home residents: a latent profile approach.

BACKGROUND: Nursing home residents commonly experience poor sleep conditions. However, few studies have explored the potential sleep patterns among nursing home residents. This study aimed to identify the sleep patterns in nursing home residents, compare residents' characteristics across sleep patterns, and examine the relationships between sleep patterns and residents' mental health (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms). METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 27 nursing homes in Jinan, China, from March to June 2018. In total, 353 participants were recruited via convenience sampling, and of which, 326 completed the survey. A latent profile analysis was performed to identify sleep patterns based on the seven dimensions of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare residents' characteristics among the sleep patterns. Mixed-effects logistic regression analyses were adopted to investigate the relationships between sleep patterns and residents' mental health. RESULTS: Three sleep patterns were identified, including 'good sleepers', 'poor sleepers without hypnotic use', and 'poor sleepers with hypnotic use'. Residents' gender, education, pain, instrumental activities of daily living, and number of chronic conditions were significantly differentiated across the sleep patterns. Compared with 'good sleepers', 'poor sleepers without hypnotic use' were significantly associated with more depressive symptoms (OR = 3.73, 95% CI = 2.09, 6.65, p < 0.001), but not with anxiety symptoms (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 0.97, 4.29, p = 0.062); whereas 'poor sleepers with hypnotic use' had significantly more depressive (OR = 5.24, 95% CI = 2.54, 10.79, p < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (OR = 5.02, 95% CI = 2.13, 11.83, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals three distinct sleep patterns in nursing home residents and their significant associations with residents' mental health. These findings can inform future research to develop appropriate and tailored intervention strategies for improving sleep and promoting mental health for nursing home residents.

The effects of a family-focused dyadic psychoeducational intervention for stroke survivors and their family caregivers: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Stroke can cause a variety of physical and psychosocial disturbances for both survivors and their family caregivers (i.e., stroke dyads). Dyadic psychoeducation appears to be a promising approach for providing knowledge of stroke and self-care or caregiving skills to improve stroke dyads' health outcomes. Therefore, a family-focused psychoeducation intervention was designed and tested to improve the health outcomes of stroke dyads. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of a family-focused dyadic psychoeducational intervention on the functional and psychosocial outcomes of stroke survivors and family caregivers. DESIGN: A single-blinded, parallel-group randomised controlled trial with repeated-measures design. SETTINGS: Two general hospitals and one rehabilitation facility in Jinan, China. PARTICIPANTS: Stroke survivors and family caregivers (N = 162 dyads). METHODS: The dyads were randomly allocated to either psychoeducation or control group with usual care only (N = 81 dyads per group). The intervention included three structured face-to-face education sessions (one hour per session) in hospital pre-discharge and four weekly telephone counselling calls post-discharge. Study outcomes included survivor functioning and caregiver burden (primary outcomes), and other secondary outcomes (i.e., caregiving competence, dyads' coping, depressive and anxiety symptoms, family functioning, and dyadic relationship, as well as survivor healthcare utilisation and caregiving-related injury). Data were collected at baseline (T0) and immediately (T1) and 3 months post-intervention (T2). The intervention effects were estimated using generalised estimating equation models. RESULTS: Participants in the psychoeducation group revealed significantly greater reductions on caregiver burden than the control group at T1 (ß = -6.01, p = 0.026) and T2 (ß = -6.73, p = 0.039), but non-significant effects on survivor functioning, except in emotion domain at T1 (ß = 7.22, p = 0.015). In addition, the intervention demonstrated significantly greater improvements on caregiving competence (ß = 0.98, p = 0.013; ß = 1.58, p < 0.001), survivors' depressive symptoms (ß = -1.56, p = 0.007; ß = -2.06, p = 0.005), and dyadic relationship (ß = 0.26, p = 0.012; ß = 0.27, p = 0.022) at T1 and T2, as well as on survivor coping at T2 (ß = 6.73, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Our study added values on the benefits of family-focused dyadic psychoeducation to routine stroke rehabilitation and family care. Future research can evaluate its long-term effects for families of stroke survivors with diverse socio-demographic and stroke-related characteristics. REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2100042684). Recruitment: March to June 2021.

Effects of a family-focused dyadic psychoeducational intervention for stroke survivors and their family caregivers: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in China and worldwide, affecting the health and well-being of both stroke survivors and their family caregivers (i.e. stroke dyads). Dyadic interventions targeting both as active participants can be beneficial for the dyads' health and well-being. Psychoeducation is a potentially acceptable approach to developing participants' knowledge about their disease management to promote their recovery. This study aims to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a family-focused dyadic psychoeducational intervention for stroke dyads. METHODS: This study was a single-blinded, parallel-group randomised controlled trial. Totally, a convenience sample of 40 stroke dyads was recruited. The intervention included three in-hospital face-to-face education sessions and four weekly post-discharge follow-up telephone counselling sessions. Feasibility was assessed by the rates of recruitment, attritions, and adherence to the intervention. Acceptability was evaluated via semi-structured qualitative interviews. Preliminary intervention effects were evaluated on primary (survivors' functioning and caregivers' burden) and secondary (caregivers' competence and dyads' coping, depressive and anxiety symptoms, family functioning, and dyadic relationship) outcomes. RESULTS: Intervention feasibility was established with satisfactory recruitment (76.9%), attrition (10%), and intervention completion (75%) rates. Qualitative interviews suggested that the intervention was acceptable and useful to stroke dyads. The intervention effects on survivors' functioning were significant in the memory and thinking (F = 8.39, p = 0.022, η = 0.18) and mobility (F = 5.37, p = 0.026, η = 0.12) domains, but not significant on their overall functioning (F = 2.39, p = 0.131). Caregiver burden in the intervention group was significantly greater reduced at post-test than the control group, with a large effect size (F = 7.55, p = 0.013, η = 0.28). For secondary outcomes, this intervention suggested a significant effect on caregivers' competence (F = 5.20, p = 0.034, η = 0.22), but non-significant effects on other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The family-focused dyadic psychoeducation programme was feasible and acceptable for stroke dyads and showed preliminary effects for stroke dyads. These findings support a larger-scale controlled trial to further examine its intervention effects over a longer-term follow-up. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered as a randomised controlled trial in the ISRCTN Registry. Registration Date: October 10, 2022. REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN18158500.

Effects of peer support interventions on physical and psychosocial outcomes among stroke survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: High level of unmet needs were reported by stroke survivors after hospital discharge. Peer support interventions may play a valuable role in the management of stroke, but the evidence is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of peer support interventions on physical and psychosocial outcomes of stroke survivors; and to identify the key characteristics of peer support interventions for stroke survivors.cv DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis. REVIEW METHODS: Seven English databases and four Chinese databases were searched to identify eligible articles. Two reviewers screened the eligible studies, appraised the risk of bias, and extracted the data independently. Version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias for randomized controlled trials, while the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tool was used for the quasi-experimental studies. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation profiler Guideline Development Tool was used to assess the quality of evidence. Meta-analyses were conducted using Review Manager 5.3, and narrative analyses were performed when meta-analysis was inappropriate. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included. Peer support interventions could improve the activities of daily living (MD = 15.53, 95% CI: 1.39 to 29.68; P = 0.03, I2 = 99%; very low quality of evidence), limb function, depression (SMD = -1.27, 95% CI: -2.18 to -0.36; P = 0.006, I2 = 91%; very low quality of evidence) and anxiety. Although pooled analysis showed that social participation (SMD= 0.74, 95% CI: 0.09 to 1.39; P = 0.03, I2 = 69%; low quality of evidence) and quality of life (SMD = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.73; P = 0.01, I2 = 0%; low quality of evidence) improved after peer support interventions, the studies which were not pooled due to insufficient data drew inconsistent results. CONCLUSIONS: Stroke survivors may benefit from peer support interventions to improve their physical and psychological outcomes. The evidence about the impact of peer support interventions on social participation and quality of life is very uncertain. It should be noted that the quality of evidence ranged from very low to low, thus highlighting the need for more research of higher quality to substantiate these findings.

Effectiveness of dyadic psychoeducational intervention for stroke survivors and family caregivers on functional and psychosocial health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Stroke is the third leading cause of disability worldwide, influencing the whole family's health and well-being. Dyadic (i.e., stroke survivor and family caregiver) psychoeducational intervention is a potential alternative to disease management and support, targeting at the dyads of stroke survivors and their caregivers as active participants in partnership. This review aimed to evaluate the current evidence on supporting the dyadic psychoeducational intervention for the functional and psychosocial health of stroke survivors' and their family caregivers. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis DATA SOURCES: Nine English databases (Cochrane Library, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, British Nursing Index, PubMed, Web of Science and Digital Dissertation Consortium) and two Chinese databases (CNKI and Wanfang) were searched to identify eligible studies published from their inception to April 2020. Additional relevant studies were identified from the reference lists and bibliographies of the identified articles and a manual search of relevant journals. REVIEW METHODS: Studies were searched using keywords based on the 'PICOS' framework. The eligibility of individual full-text articles was independently assessed by two reviewers in accordance with the selection criteria. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using Cochrane RoB 2.0. The main outcomes were subjected to meta-analysis whenever possible; otherwise, narrative syntheses were conducted. RESULTS: Eleven studies with 1769 stroke survivors and 1578 family caregivers were identified. The meta-analysis of pooled data suggested that the dyadic psychoeducational intervention had a significant immediate (<1 month) effect on family caregivers' burden (SMD = -0.25, 95% CI: -0.50 to -0.01, p = 0.04) and a long-term (≥6 months) effect on survivors' quality of life (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI: -0.53 to -0.07, p = 0.01). Subgroup pooled analyses indicated that the interventions initiated in hospitals could significantly improve the survivors' functional independence immediately after intervention (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.72, p = 0.01). Conversely, the interventions initiated at home did not significantly affect this functional outcome. CONCLUSIONS: This review supports the notion that the dyadic psychoeducational intervention can be effective in improving the stroke survivors' functional independence and their family caregivers' burden for a short period and the survivors' quality of life in the long run. However, its effectiveness is not conclusive because other psychosocial health outcomes for the stroke survivors and their family caregivers have not yet been found to significantly improve after intervention. Therefore, further large-scale randomised controlled trials with a high-quality design are warranted to evaluate their effectiveness in diverse functional and psychosocial health outcomes for stroke survivors and their family caregivers.

Effectiveness of educational and supportive intervention for primiparous women on breastfeeding related outcomes and breastfeeding self-efficacy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Breastmilk is the most nutritious food for infants to support their growth and protect them from infection. Breastfeeding promotion is an important topic for infant health; and different educational and supportive approaches to interventions have been prompted and targeted at antenatal, postnatal or both periods to promote and sustain exclusive breastfeeding. This systematic review aimed to identify the effective approaches to educational and supportive interventions to improve breastfeeding. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of different approaches to educational and supportive interventions that can help sustain breastfeeding and improve breastfeeding self-efficacy for primiparous postnatal women; and to identify key characteristics of the effective interventions in terms of delivery time, format and mode, main components, use of theoretical framework, and number of sessions. METHODS: Eleven electronic databases and reference lists of the eligible articles were searched. Randomised controlled trials of educational and supportive interventions published in English and Chinese language over recent 20 years were identified and screened against the review criteria. Risk of bias of the included studies was assessed. Primary outcome measures were exclusive breastfeeding and partial breastfeeding rate. Secondary outcomes included breastfeeding self-efficacy, breastfeeding knowledge and other breastfeeding related outcomes. Meta-analysis was performed in terms of ≤2 months, 3-5 months and ≥6 months postpartum. RESULTS: Thirteen articles that met the inclusion criteria were included and showed an acceptable risk of bias. Educational and supportive interventions were found effective in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rate at ≤2 months and 6 months, partial breastfeeding rate as well as enhancing breastfeeding self-efficacy at ≤2 months. The optimal delivery time, format and structure of the interventions included: (a) delivering from antenatal to postnatal period; (b) multicomponent involving antenatal group education, postnatal individual breastfeeding coaching and telephone follow-ups; (c) both individual and group basis; (d) being guided by self-efficacy theory; and (e) having ≥3 sessions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest multicomponent, theory-based intervention with ≥3 sessions delivered via both face-to-face teaching and telephone follow-ups across antenatal and postnatal period can be effective to enhance exclusive breastfeeding over 6-month, partial breastfeeding and breastfeeding self-efficacy over 2-month postpartum. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020175473 at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO).

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the FRAIL-NH scale for Chinese nursing home residents: A methodological and cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is a common condition in older adults, and has a particularly high prevalence among nursing home residents. Therefore, it is essential to assess frailty in nursing homes. The FRAIL-NH scale is a brief, quick-to-complete, and user-friendly measurement tool. However, it has not been used in China, and further cross-cultural adaptation and validation need to be undertaken. OBJECTIVES: To cross-culturally adapt and validate the FRAIL-NH scale for Chinese nursing home residents. DESIGN: Methodological and cross-sectional study. SETTING: Twenty-seven nursing homes in Jinan, China. PARTICIPANTS: Older Chinese nursing home residents (n = 353, age ≥60 years, 197 women; 156 men). METHODS: Interviewers obtained data on frailty, demographics, comorbidity, physical function, nutritional status, and self-rated health. The Chinese FRAIL-NH scale version was generated using the translation-backward translation method. Psychometric properties, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, criterion validity, and diagnosis accuracy were evaluated. RESULTS: The FRAIL-NH scale showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.67) and satisfactory test-retest reliability within a 1- to 2-week interval (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.84). As expected, the FRAIL-NH scale was correlated to the validated measurements, presenting convergent validity. Using the frailty phenotype as a reference criterion, the area under the curve was 0.79. The optimal cutoff point for frailty was 2 (sensitivity: 69.90% and 77.33%) in Chinese nursing homes. The FRAIL-NH scale was significantly associated with the frailty phenotype (correlation coefficient = 0.61, P < 0.001), but showed fair agreement with it (kappa = 0.46, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The FRAIL-NH scale was found to be suitable for frailty measurement with acceptable validity and reliability, and the optimal cutoff point for frailty was 2. The FRAIL-NH scale can be applied in Chinese nursing homes.

Quality of life of nursing home residents in mainland China: The role of children and family support.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recently China ended its one-child policy and all married couples were permitted to have two children. The objectives were to investigate: 1) whether having more children (3+ vs. ≤ 2) is positively associated with quality of life (QOL); and 2) the role of child visit frequency and family support in the relationship between number of children and QOL among nursing home residents in mainland China. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. A total 371 residents from 33 nursing homes in Jinan, Shandong Province who completed the survey from May to September 2016 were analyzed. The mixed-effects multivariate linear or ordered logistic regression models were used to test the mediating effect of child visit frequency and family support on the relationship between the number of children and QOL. All statistical models were adjusted for resident- and facility-level variables. RESULTS: Nursing home residents with 3+ children received more frequent child visits and family support, and had better QOL compared with those with ≤2 children. However, the relationship between number of children and QOL was attenuated and no longer significant with the inclusion of child visit frequency and family support in the model. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings emphasized the importance of the role of children for the QOL of the older adults in a traditionally family-care oriented society like China. As China's population continues to age, having two children is necessary but may be insufficient in the context of improving nursing home residents' QOL.

Development of a quality of life questionnaire for nursing home residents in mainland China.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a quality of life (QOL) questionnaire for nursing home (NH) residents in mainland China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study including a development sample (n = 176) and validation sample (n = 371) of NH residents aged 60 and older was conducted between 2015 and 2016 in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Resident interviews, literature reviews, expert panels, and pilot studies were used to identify QOL domains and items pertinent to NH life. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used to develop and validate a QOL questionnaire. Reliability (internal consistency, spilt-half reliability, and test-retest reliability) and validity (construct and criterion validity) were evaluated for the questionnaire. RESULTS: The self-report Chinese NH QOL questionnaire had 9 domains and 38 items including physical health (4 items), food enjoyment (6 items), security (3 items), environmental comfort (5 items), autonomy (2 items), meaningful activity (3 items), interrelationship (6 items), family relationships (3 items), and mood (6 items). The nine-factor model was confirmed with the following fit indices: χ2/df = 1.872, root mean square error of approximation = 0.049, comparative fit index = 0.913, and Tucker-Lewis index = 0.903. The 38-item NH QOL questionnaire showed satisfactory construct validity, criterion validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89, spilt-half reliability = 0.73, test-retest reliability = 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: The NH QOL questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid instrument and should be incorporated into a set of quality measures for use with NH residents in mainland China.

Relationships among occupational stress, toileting behaviors, and overactive bladder in nurses: A multiple mediator model.

AIMS: To investigate: (a) the prevalence of overactive bladder among male and female operating room nurses; (b) the unhealthy toileting behaviours that nurses adopt to void their bladders; and (c) the mediating roles that different toileting behaviours play in the relationship between occupational stress and overactive bladder. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used. METHODS: This study was conducted from July - September 2016 in Jinan, China. Four hundred eligible operating room nurses in five hospitals were recruited. Data were collected through survey questionnaires including the nurse job stress scale, the toileting behaviours scale and the overactive bladder symptom score questionnaire. Multivariate linear or logistic regression models, as appropriate, were used to test the mediation effect of each toileting behaviour on the relationship between occupational stress and overactive bladder. RESULTS: Overactive bladder was highly prevalent in both male and female nurses working in operating rooms. Approximately one of three nurses reported experiencing an overactive bladder. The most common unhealthy toileting behaviour was delayed voiding. Unhealthy toileting behaviours mediated the relationship between occupational stress and overactive bladder. With high levels of occupational stress, nurses tended to adopt unhealthy toileting behaviours to empty their bladders. The more the nurses engaged in unhealthy toileting behaviours (e.g. delayed voiding and straining to void), the greater the likelihood of having overactive bladders. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the mediating role of toileting behaviours on occupational stress and overactive bladder. To accommodate occupational stress, nurses engaged in unhealthy toileting behaviours that were detrimental to their bladder health.