Doctor-patient relationship and quality of life in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: an exploratory study of the potential mediating role of illness perceptions and acceptance

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterised by unpredictable bowel symptoms. These can be difficult to manage, consequently impacting quality of life (QoL). In addition, a strained doctor–patient relationship is independently reported in the qualitative literature. Given the doctor is often the first port of call for people with IBS, a difficult relationship may influence subsequent IBS management. Research suggests illness perceptions are important in determining IBS outcomes in therapy; however, their association with doctor–patient relationship and QoL is yet to be investigated. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the association between these constructs in IBS, as well as potential mediation by illness perceptions. Online questionnaires measuring doctor–patient relationship, illness perceptions, acceptance and QoL, were completed by 167 participants who reported an IBS diagnosis (144 female, mean age = 44.22 years, SD = 15.91 years). Bootstrapped pathway analysis was used to model the relationship and mediation effects. There was a significant positive correlation between patient–doctor relationship and QoL, r = .258, n = 167, p = .001. There was a significant indirect effect between doctor–patient relationship and QoL through illness coherence and acceptance (bootstrapped estimate = .058, 95%CI Lower-Upper = .02, .095, p = .002). No other indirect effects were observed in combination with good fit indices for the other illness perceptions. Findings suggest a doctor–patient relationship which fosters mutual understanding and helps patients make sense of symptoms, increases their ability to manage their IBS in a psychologically flexible manner, subsequently helping them maintain their QoL.     

Assessing the quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis in Kuwait: a cross sectional study

The main objective of this paper was to assess the level and the determinants of quality of life (QOL) amongst patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). A cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 200 adult MS patients. Inclusion criteria were: MS diagnosis for at least one year, and aged 21+ years. However, exclusion criteria were: having other neurological diseases, serious cardiovascular, orthopedic or other disability precluding participation. Self-administered questionnaire employed MSQOL-54 with two outcomes: Physical Health Composite (PHC) and mental health composite (MHC). Satisfaction with Daily Occupation scale was adopted through face to face interviews. The median of PHC and MHC scores were 48.9/100, and 53.4/100 respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that unemployment was a determinant of poor PHC, while low monthly income was a predictor of poor MHC. Additionally, low endurance and sensory problems were associated with poor PHC, and MHC, while motor problems were allied with only poor PHC. Patient’s satisfaction level with performing activities of daily living was positively associated with PHC and MHC. Assessment of QOL is suggested to be comprised in medical settings.     

Social-emotional aspects of quality of life in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory auto-immune disease of the central nervous system. It leads to many impairments including physical, cognitive, psychological, and social challenges. Our study examined gender and cultural associations with quality of life (QoL), personal characteristics, and benefits from having MS among those with MS. The study was conducted in Austria and the United States. The sample included 128 participants, 64 in each country, of whom 78 were women and 50 were men aged between 20 and 57 years. We used standard statistical tests, including analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) and partial correlations for the analysis of quantitative data. For the qualitative part of the survey we used semi-structured interviews, which we transcribed and coded to identify categories in the answers for qualitative analyses. Austrian participants with MS perceived a higher social-emotional QoL in comparison to American participants. American participants expressed a higher self-esteem in comparison to Austrian participants. Men reported a lower ability to express love than women. Independent of sex/gender and nationality, participants reported benefits through the disease, especially with regard to improved compassion, mindfulness, improved family relations and lifestyle gains. The qualitative interviews revealed additional gender differences for coping with the illness; and in experiences, expectations, and challenges related to MS. These insights can be used to develop targeted psychological and social support interventions aimed toward improving social-emotional QoL for persons with MS.     

Lesson of emotions in the family: The role of emotional intelligence in the relation between filial piety and life satisfaction among Taiwanese college students

This study investigated the relationships between reciprocal filial piety beliefs, emotional intelligence, and life satisfaction among Taiwanese young adults. A total of 481 college students from Taiwan were recruited for the study. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyze the data. The analysis produced the following results. First, reciprocal filial piety was positively related to all of the four types of emotional intelligence: self‐emotional appraisal (SEA), others' emotional appraisal (OEA), regulation of emotion (ROE), and use of emotion (UOE). Second, both ROE and UOE had a positive association with life satisfaction whereas SEA and OEA had a nonsignificant association with life satisfaction. Third, the two types of emotional intelligence, ROE and UOE, mediated the relation between reciprocal filial piety and young adults' life satisfaction. The findings suggest that reciprocal filial piety, representing high‐quality interaction between children and parents, can facilitate individuals' ability to control and use their emotions, which in turn improves their life satisfaction.     

“Let the heavens be glad,and the earth rejoice”: religion and life satisfaction among emerging adults in the United States

Although previous research suggests that religion contributes to greater life satisfaction, there is still disagreement about what aspects of religion predict greater life satisfaction. Despite a growing body of theory and research on emerging adulthood as a life stage that is distinct from adolescence and young adulthood, there has also been limited research on the relationship between religion and life satisfaction among emerging adults. Based on the third wave of the National Study of Youth and Religion, our results suggest that two measures of private religiosity, private devotion and religious efficacy, are significantly related to greater life satisfaction among emerging adults. In contrast, other dimensions of private and public religiosity, such as participation in organised religion, religious salience, otherworldly beliefs, and number of religious friends, are not related to greater life satisfaction. Finally, among emerging adults, being spiritual but not religious is not significantly related to life satisfaction.     

Religious and non-religious predictors of life satisfaction in a sample of American college students

To promote understanding of young people behavioural mechanisms related to health, we evaluated religious attribution, meaning in life, and emotion regulation strategies as predictors of life satisfaction in the sample of 791 religious and non-religious American college students. Participants completed Religious Attribution Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. A multiple linear regression revealed that the strongest predictor of life satisfaction for both groups was the presence of meaning in life, followed by the use of cognitive reappraisal. We found that participants with high levels of presence of meaning in life, regardless of their religious identity, were able to benefit from the use of cognitive reappraisal. Presence of meaning in life and emotion regulation strategy reside outside of the religious confines, supporting the notion that religiosity is not a singular meaning making system. By identifying constructs related to life satisfaction, we can acquire better understanding of what mechanisms contribute to positive coping strategies that religious and non-religious young adults use to achieve positive life outcomes.     

A Pilot Study Assessing the Effectiveness of Equine-Assisted Learning with Adolescents

This study contains an observation of six female participants (N = 6) who completed 8 weeks of a psychoeducational life skills program. The program included psychoeducational sessions that covered life skills related to partnership, respect, boundaries, communication, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and teamwork followed by an Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) session. A paired sample t-test was conducted to measure the effectiveness of the equine therapy program with the psychoeducation lesson. A mental health professional, equine specialist, and a ranch worker observed and scored participants’ behaviors after each session. A paired-samples t-test was conducted after week 4 and week 7; the results indicated that participants showed improvement in communication, confidence, and respect scores. The participants demonstrated improvements with emotional regulation t(11) = 2.862, p = .015.     

Anticipatory Uncertainty: How Academic and Industry Researchers in the Life Sciences Experience and Manage the Uncertainties of the Research Process Differently

The institutional contexts of research increasingly require researchers to anticipate their productivity and the uncertainties inherent in their research. This applies to both academic researchers and to researchers in start-up companies. This creates a specific kind of uncertainty, anticipatory uncertainty, that we define as the state of being uncertain as to whether research processes will be productive in a specific time frame and along situated definitions of good performance. In the life sciences, this anticipatory uncertainty is experienced and managed differently, depending on how research is organized and the cultural resources available in specific institutional contexts. In biotechnology companies, there is a readiness to embrace dynamic changes in both research strategies and the organization of work in response to new developments in the progress of the overall research agenda. In academia, the ability of research groups to react with similar flexibility seems significantly constrained by the individual attribution of research work and credit, and the correspondingly high level of individual anticipatory uncertainty. This raises questions about how far the current organization of academic research allows epistemic uncertainty to be embraced and corresponding risks to be taken, rather than safe questions to be pursued.