Different Associations of Health Related Quality of Life with Pain,Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disorder

The primary aim of this study was to measure psychological distress, pain severity, health related quality of life (QOL) and pain coping strategies in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis (UC). A second aim was to determine the influence of somatic and psychological variables on health related QOL. Eighty-eight IBS and 66 UC patients completed the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality of Life Questionnaire (IBSQOL), Pain Severity Scale of West Haven Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPY), Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) and Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). T-tests and GLM Analysis of Covariance were used for statistical analysis. IBS patients had significantly higher levels of psychological distress, pain severity and maladaptive pain coping strategies (catastrophization), and lower QOL than UC patients. Variance of QOL in IBS was explained for the most part by catastrophization (15%), then by psychological distress (8%), and for the less part by pain severity (5%). In UC, pain severity explained 21%, psychological distress 8%, and catastrophization 3% of the variance of QOL. These results suggest there are differences between IBS and UC patients in the role of physical and psychological factors in QOL and emphasize the importance of cognitive processes in IBS.     

The Subjectivity Inherent in Objective Measures of Well-Being

Claims abound that GDP accounting ignores social and ecological problems and misrepresents social well-being. While GDP growth continues to be a policy priority in most countries, it is at best one objective among many in achieving humanity’s “ultimate purpose.” Yet revisions to the income accounts and alternative well-being indicators are also problematic, since they reinforce the illusion that social and ecological impacts on well-being are objectively measurable. Future policy must not only be informed to a greater extent by qualitative and multi-dimensional assessments, but must recognize that any rank-ordering of society’s ultimate ends cannot but be subjective.

Quality of Life in Male Osteoporosis Decreases as the Number of Fracture Increases

We would like to evaluate quality of life (QL) using validated indexes (QUALEFFO, SF-36) in non-hospitalised osteoporotic men. We have also compared QL in primary or secondary osteoporosis and we have evaluated QL according to the number of fractures. 142 men aged 18 to 80 years (60.3 ± 12.8 years) completed these questionnaires at least 2 months after a fracture. Among them, 81.6% had osteoporosis with fractures and 58% had 2 or more vertebral fractures. Osteoporosis was primary in 52% of cases. The decrease in quality of life due to osteoporotic fractures in men appears comparable to that caused by post menopausal osteoporosis. The impairment of QL concerns all ITEMs ie pain, mobility, social activities, mental functiun, health perception. The primary or secondary nature of the osteoporosis does not influence the decrease in quality of life. Quality of life decreases as the number of fractures increases.     

Testing the Mediating Effect of the Quality of College Life in the Student Satisfaction and Student Loyalty Relationship

This study tests the mediating effect of the quality of college life (QCL) in the student satisfaction and student loyalty relationship. QCL refers to the degree of need satisfaction and the experiences that create a positive affect throughout college life. The QCL of students is conceptualized as a higher order construct that is composed of need satisfaction and affect balance. It has been hypothesized that student satisfaction with university services has a significant impact on QCL, which in turn positively influences student loyalty. The results from the survey of 228 college students largely supported the model. Both the managerial and policy implications of this study are discussed.

How Does Residents’ Satisfaction with Community Services Influence Quality of Life (QOL) Outcomes?

Grzeskowiak et al. [Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy 33(2):1–36, 2003] conducted a study that empirically tested a model that integrates the relationships among determinants and outcomes of residents’ satisfaction with community services. We build on their model in attempt to explain how residents’ satisfaction with community services influence satisfaction with the community at large (community well-being) and satisfaction with life (quality of life). Specifically, we hypothesized and empirically demonstrated for the most part that satisfaction with a variety of community services (e.g., services related to housing, education, government, healthcare, employment, religion, public safety, retailing, transportation, and leisure) affect satisfaction with the community and life overall through satisfaction in a variety of life domains (e.g., family, social, leisure, health, financial, cultural, consumer, work, spiritual, and environmental domains).     

Quality of life: A Psychological analysis

Quality of life (QOL) is an amorphous concept; it is normative and value laden. Economists’ emphasis on the standard of living brings into focus the value of growth, expansion and acceleration. Financial status is important but has limited impact on feelings of happiness. The subjective experiences (e.g. wellbeing, cheerfulness, satisfaction, contentment, empathy, faith, wisdom and purpose in life) complement the economist’s concept of standard of living. The criteria for determining the QOL may relate to adaptive mechanisms one employs in everyday life. Dispositions of altruism, sublimation, humor, empathy, optimism, and wisdom also contribute to the QOL. It appears that QOL is essentially a cultural concept overflowing both economics and psychology. Non-Western approaches such as Chinese, Buddhist, Hindu thought, have proposed balancing as a key factor in QOL. The highest quality of life is one in which one transcends dualism in life, namely happiness — sorrow, pleasure — pain, love — hate, etc and cultivate the capacity to remain unassailed by the dualities, rather than that of balance. We need to attend to the views of humanistic disciplines and examine the issue of QOL in the context of the world view one holds.     

Sense of Community in Hong Kong: Relations with Community-Level Characteristics and Residents’ Well-Being

Sense of community (SOC) has been one of the most studied topics in community psychology. However, no empirical study to date has investigated SOC in Hong Kong and its relations with community characteristics and residents’ psychological well-being. A representative sample of 941 Hong Kong Chinese based on a randomized household survey was conducted in all 18 districts in Hong Kong. Results of hierarchical linear modeling indicated that SOC was not associated with sociodemographic indicators on both the individual-level (i.e., gender, age, family income, education level, type of residence, and area-to-capita ratio of residence) and the community-level (i.e., proportion of individuals with tertiary education, median family income, ownership of residence, population density, and resident stability). SOC was negatively related to daily hassles and positively with social support and quality of life. Conceptualization of SOC in Hong Kong was discussed.     

Health-Related Quality of Life in College Undergraduates with Learning Disabilities: The Mediational Roles of Anxiety and Sadness

Little research has examined health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults with learning disabilities in post-secondary settings and the potential relationship between a learning disability and anxiety or sadness. This study examined HRQoL in 68 undergraduate students: 34 students who reported having been diagnosed with a “learning disability” were compared to 34 students who indicated they had not been diagnosed with a learning disability. Participants completed an online survey of anxiety, sadness, and HRQoL, including the SF-36. ANCOVAs on the Emotional Well-Being and Role Limitations Due to Emotional Problems scales from the SF-36 revealed that students reporting a diagnosis of a learning disability were significantly more impaired in Emotional Well-Being. Regression analyses suggested that impairment in Emotional Well-Being was mediated by separate ratings of both anxiety and sadness. Results indicated that those undergraduates reporting learning disabilities suffered from an impaired sense of well-being associated with anxious and sad feelings. A portion of these data were presented at the 2005 annual meetings of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT).     

The Japanese version of the overall assessment of the speaker’s experience of stuttering for adults (OASES-A-J): Translation and psychometric evaluation

PurposeThis study evaluates the psychometric performance of the Japanese version of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASES-A), a comprehensive assessment tool of individuals who stutter.MethodsThe OASES-A-J was administered to 200 adults who stutter in Japan. All respondents also evaluated their own speech (SA scale), satisfaction of their own speech (SS scale) and the Japanese translation version of the Modified Erickson Communication Attitude scale (S-24). The test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the OASES-A-J were assessed. To examine the concurrent validity of the questionnaire, Pearson correlation was conducted between the OASES-A-J Impact score and the S-24 scale, SA scale and SS scale. In addition, Pearson correlation among the impact scores of each section and total were calculated to examine the construct validity.ResultsThe OASES-A-J showed a good test-retest reliability (r = 0.81–0.95) and high internal consistency (α > 0.80). Concurrent validity was moderate to high (0.55–0.75). Construct validity was confirmed by the relation between internal consistency in each section and correlation among sections’ impact scores. Japanese adults showed higher negative impact for ‘General Information’, ‘Reactions to Stuttering’ and ‘Quality of Life’ sections.ConclusionThese results suggest that the OASES-A-J is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the impact of stuttering on Japanese adults who stutter. The OASES-A-J could be used as a clinical tool in Japanese stuttering field.     

Meeting the challenges in the delivery of child and adolescent mental health services in the next millennium: The continuous quality improvement approach

Managed care and concerns about the effectiveness of services are major pressures on mental health services. An approach to dealing with the challenges of providing high-quality, cost-effective services is continuous quality improvement or CQI. This article describes four major themes that motivate the CQI approach. However, we also describe the major obstacles in using an approach originally designed for manufacturing for human services. The need to accurately measure both treatment processes and outcomes is emphasized.