A systematic review of siblings' psychosocial outcomes following traumatic brain injury

Purpose: To investigate the psychosocial impact of TBI on siblings and to identify the factors associated with their psychosocial functioning.Methods: A systematic search of six databases (CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, PsychINFO, Web of Science and Embase) was conducted from 1980 to May 1st, 2020. Studies involving siblings of a child or adult with TBI that employed validated self-report measures of psychosocial functioning were included. Quality of methodology was appraised by two reviewers.Results: Thirteen articles were identified, reporting on 11 cross-sectional studies. Although there were mixed findings overall, siblings typically reported greater mood symptoms and distress related to family functioning as compared to the norms and control samples. Siblings' psychosocial functioning was comparable to other family members, although they were less likely to be primary caregivers. Having a brother or sister with behavioural problems and low levels of social support were the factors most consistently related to poor psychosocial functioning in siblings.Conclusions: Siblings of individuals with TBI may experience negative changes in psychosocial functioning. They are at greater risk of poor psychosocial functioning when their brother or sister with TBI has behavioural problems and when they perceive low social support. Longitudinal studies on siblings' adjustment trajectory over time and research on support interventions for siblings are recommended.Implications for RehabilitationTraumatic brain injury can have a negative impact on siblings' psychosocial functioning with respect to mood and distress related to family functioning.As siblings experience similar impacts on their psychosocial functioning to other family members, specific focus on their adjustment to role changes may be needed.Siblings with a brother or sister with behavioural problems and those perceiving lower social support may particularly benefit from monitoring and support.

How I See and Feel About Myself: Domain-Specific Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Autistic Adults

Few studies have examined the self-perceptions of autistic adults. This study aimed firstly to investigate domain-specific self-concepts and global self-esteem in autistic adults. The second aim was to examine associations between autism self-appraisals, perceived social support and global self-concept and self-esteem. The third was to determine which domains of self-concept were most closely associated with self-esteem. Participants included 71 autistic adults aged 18-70 years and 65 age, sex and education matched typically developing individuals. Participants completed an online survey of autism characteristics, global self-esteem and domain-specific self-concepts (i.e. likeability, task accomplishment, power, giftedness, invulnerability, and morality), self-appraisals about autism, and perceived social support. Autistic participants reported significantly lower power and global self-esteem than typically developing individuals after controlling for autism characteristics. More positive self-appraisals about autism (i.e. greater perceived benefits and lower helplessness) were significantly related to better global self-concept and self-esteem. Global self-esteem was significantly and positively associated with perceptions of giftedness, emotional resilience and power. These findings suggest that autistic adults may perceive themselves as having a low sense of power in their relationships and have negative global perceptions of their self-worth. However, those able to find positive meaning or benefits associated with autism are likely to have more positive global self-perceptions. This study provides new insights into how autistic adults perceive themselves which may guide the focus of psychosocial interventions that seek to recognize and promote unique talents and emotional resilience.

[Formula: see text] Investigation of children and adolescents' mood and self-concept after acquired brain injury

Few studies have examined the self-reported mental health of children with an acquired brain injury (ABI). The current study aimed to: 1) identify levels of child-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms and poor self-concept, 2) investigate demographic and injury-related factors associated with children's mood and self-concept, and 3) examine associations between children's self-reported mental health and parents' reports of children's emotional and behavioral functioning in children specifically with traumatic brain injury (TBI). 122 children (66% male) aged 8-16 years with ABI of mixed etiology were consecutively recruited through an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Children were administered the Beck Youth Inventories - Second Edition, and parents completed the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Relative to the norms, 16.4% of children scored in the clinical range for the depression and anxiety scales, and 24.6% reported clinically low self-concept. Children with lower functional status had greater anxiety symptoms. Older children (13-16 years) reported significantly higher depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower self-concept than younger children (8-12 years). A significant interaction between age and sex indicated that older girls reported greater depressive and anxiety symptoms than younger girls whereas no age-based differences were found for boys. Parent-reported total emotional and behavioral problems were positively associated with children's self-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms and were negatively correlated with self-concept. These findings indicate that adolescents, particularly girls, may be at heightened risk of poor mental health following ABI. Further research investigating the reasons for these demographic differences may inform developmentally sensitive interventions.

Using telepresence for social connection: views of older people with dementia, families, and health professionals from a mixed methods pilot study

Objectives: To explore the acceptability of telepresence robots in dementia care from the perspectives of people with dementia, family carers, and health professionals/trainees, and investigate the utility of a social presence assessment tool, the Modified-Temple Presence Inventory (Modified-TPI), for people with dementia. Method: A mixed-methods pilot study conducted in a social robotics laboratory. Three participant groups (n = 22) - dyads of people with dementia and their carers (n = 5 respectively), and health professionals/trainees (n = 12) - participated in individual one-off intervention sessions with the telepresence robot, Giraff, with follow-up interviews. Sessions covered how to use Giraff, followed by interactive practice in making a video-call involving conversation and manoeuvring of Giraff. Participants with dementia experienced receiving a call made by their carer; healthcare professionals/trainees experienced making and receiving a call. Outcomes of interest were sense of presence [Modified-TPI], affective response (International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule [I-PANAS-S]; Observable Displays of Affect Scale [ODAS]), and attitudes and reactions to Giraff (semi-structured interviews). Results: Participants reported a sense of authenticity and social connection through the experience. They indicated positive social presence through Giraff, and significantly higher positive (mean score 18.77; ±4.00) than negative affect (mean score 8.05; ±1.76) on the I-PANAS-SF, and on the facial display subscale of the ODAS (positive - mean score 15.50; ±3.51 versus negative - mean score 4.00; ±0.00). Conclusion: Telepresence has potential use in situations where people with dementia require social connection. Studies with larger sample sizes, varied characteristics, and cost-effectiveness analysis are needed to inform the application of telepresence in healthcare practice.

Using a general theory of implementation to plan the introduction of delirium prevention for older people in hospital

AIM

To develop an implementation plan for delirium prevention.

BACKGROUND

The use of non-pharmacological interventions to prevent hospital-acquired delirium is well established but their implementation has been notoriously difficult to achieve. Systematic analysis of context as part of implementation planning is critical.

METHODS

Ethnographic study was conducted in a 24-bed general medical ward. Eleven patients and family members and 15 health service staff participated through observations, individual interviews and document review. Inductive analysis was used to generate themes that described enablers and barriers.

RESULTS

Enablers included a ward culture that embraced safety and placing the person at the centre of care. Barriers were in tension with the enablers and included limited staff knowledge, specialist forms exclusive to the nursing discipline, inflexible ward routines and frequent disruptions.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to standard implementation strategies such as individual education and leadership, implementing delirium prevention requires consideration of team practices, review of policy document design and identification of outcomes data than can support collaborative reflexive practice.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

The use of a theory-informed ethnographic approach exposed tensions that may be otherwise invisible. Understanding the tensions increases the likelihood of implementation success. Using a systematic assessment approach can create a comprehensive implementation plan.

Can lifelike baby dolls reduce symptoms of anxiety, agitation, or aggression for people with dementia in long-term care? Findings from a pilot randomised controlled trial

Objectives: To compare a lifelike baby doll intervention for reducing anxiety, agitation, and aggression in older people with dementia in long-term care (LTC), with usual facility care; and explore the perceptions of care staff about doll therapy. Method: Pilot, mixed-methods, parallel, randomised controlled trial, with follow-up semi-structured interviews. Thirty-five residents from five LTC facilities in Queensland, Australia were randomised to the lifelike baby doll intervention (three, 30-minute, individual, non-facilitated sessions per week) or usual care. Outcomes were changes in levels of anxiety, agitation, and aggression after the 3-week intervention, and short-term effects at week 1. Following intention-to-treat principles, repeated measure MANOVA was undertaken. Qualitative interviews involved five staff. Results: The doll intervention did not significantly reduce residents' anxiety, agitation, or aggression when compared to usual care at weeks 3 (primary outcome) and 1 (secondary outcome). However, there was a significant group-by-time interaction for the outcome of pleasure - the doll group showed a greater increase in displays of pleasure at week 3 compared to baseline than usual care (F(1,31) = 4.400, p = 0.044; Cohen's d = 0.74). Staff perceived benefits for residents included emotional comfort, a calming effect, and providing a purposeful activity. Perceived limitations were that doll therapy may only be suitable for some individuals, some of the time, and the potential for residents to care for the doll at the expense of their health. Conclusions: Doll therapy can provide some residents with enjoyment and purposeful engagement. Further research should focus on understanding the individual characteristics and circumstances in which residents most benefit.

Adaptations to cognitive problems reported by breast cancer survivors seeking cognitive rehabilitation: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

Qualitative studies have elucidated cancer survivors' experiences of cognitive changes associated with cancer and cancer treatment. This study specifically explored experiences of women treated for breast cancer who were seeking cognitive rehabilitation. The objective was to characterise the frequency and nature of cognitive changes and adaptations to cognitive change reported by these participants to better understand treatment needs of this group.

METHOD

Australian women who had completed primary treatments for breast cancer (surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiotherapy) and volunteered to participate in one of two cognitive rehabilitation intervention studies were interviewed via telephone. Interview responses regarding cognitive changes and adaptations to cognitive change were transcribed by the interviewers, then coded and analysed by two researchers using content analysis.

RESULTS

Among the 95 participants (age M=54.3 years, SD=9.6), the most commonly reported cognitive change was memory (79% of participants) and 61% reported more than one type of cognitive change. Adaptations to change were reported by 87% of participants, with written or electronic cues the most common (51%). Most often, participants reported using a single type of adaptation (48%) with only 39% reporting multiple types of adaptations.

CONCLUSIONS

Women treated for breast cancer, who were seeking cognitive rehabilitation, most commonly reported memory changes, which were mainly managed through a single type of adaptation. These results suggest that there is considerable scope for increasing the range of cognitive adaptations to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors who experience adverse cognitive changes.

Concordance between the Awareness Questionnaire and Self-Awareness of Deficits Interview for identifying impaired self-awareness in individuals with traumatic brain injury in the community

OBJECTIVE

To investigate concordance between the Awareness Questionnaire (AQ) and Self-Awareness of Deficits Interview (SADI) for identifying impaired self-awareness in the community after traumatic brain injury.

DESIGN

A retrospective file audit was conducted to retrieve data on the AQ and SADI for participants with traumatic brain injury involved in previous studies on community-based outcomes. Concordance between the AQ and SADI was examined using receiver operating characteristic curves for different scores on each measure.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 80 individuals with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (81% male, mean age 2.25 years, standard deviation (SD) 11.5 years) living in the community.

METHODS

Participants were administered the AQ and SADI and their significant other completed the AQ and SADI checklist.

RESULTS

Consistency of classification of impaired self-awareness between the AQ and SADI was high (i.e. 80-84%) based on scores reflecting good sensitivity and specificity. Corresponding scores on the 2 measures and rates of impaired self-awareness were as follows: SADI > 3~AQ discrepancy > 4 (45-48% with impaired self-awareness); SADI > 4~AQ discrepancy > 9 (26-34% with impaired self-awareness); SADI > 5~AQ discrepancy >12 (13-26% with impaired self-awareness).

CONCLUSION

The AQ and SADI yielded consistent information regarding the presence of impaired self-awareness in community-based individuals with traumatic brain injury. The choice of measure may depend on how the tool is being used to guide rehabilitation planning.

The nature of occupational gaps and relationship with mood, psychosocial functioning and self-discrepancy after severe traumatic brain injury

Purpose: To examine the nature of occupational gaps and desired re-engagement following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and the relationship to mood, self-discrepancy, and psychosocial functioning.Materials and methods: Fifty-nine adults with severe TBI (73% male, M age = 36.50, SD = 12.54) were administered measures of past, current, and desired occupations (Occupational Gaps Questionnaire), mood (Depression Stress and Anxiety Scale - 21), and self-discrepancy (Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale - version 3). Psychosocial functioning was rated by relatives on the Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Questionnaire.Results: Participants reported that they engaged in significantly fewer occupations than prior to their injury (p < 0.001). Further, they participated in fewer occupations than they desired (p < 0.001). Desired re-engagement was identified for 18 of the 30 occupations (e.g., working, sports, managing personal finances, and supporting others). A higher number of these re-engagement gaps was significantly related to greater anxiety (r = 0.30, p < 0.05) and lower psychosocial functioning (r = -0.29, p < 0.05). A mediation analysis revealed that re-engagement gaps were indirectly related to self-discrepancy through an association with anxiety.Conclusions: Occupational gaps are commonly experienced after severe traumatic brain injury. Lack of engagement in desired occupations is associated with greater anxiety and poorer psychosocial functioning. Anxiety regarding these gaps may contribute to negative comparisons between one's pre-injury and post-injury self. Identification of occupational gaps and their psychological impact may guide the focus of client-centred rehabilitation approaches.Implications for RehabilitationGaps between current activity engagement (i.e., post injury) and desired activity engagement are commonly experienced after severe traumatic brain injury.Greater desired re-engagement gaps (i.e., when individuals report they are not completing activities that they would like to do) are associated with greater anxiety and poorer psychosocial functioning.Individuals who are unable to re-engage in desired activities are more likely to experience anxiety, which in turn may contribute to negative self-discrepancy.It may be beneficial to explore the personal meaning of changes in occupation after traumatic brain injury.

A systematic review of factors related to children's quality of life and mental health after brain tumor

PURPOSE

Brain tumor has been found to have a major impact on children's quality of life (QOL); yet, the subjective impact of the illness is still not well understood. This review aimed to investigate factors related to children's subjective well-being (SWB), or self-reported QOL and mental health after brain tumor. A further aim was to determine the consistency between child and parent-proxy ratings of children's SWB and common factors associated with both child and parent-proxy ratings.

METHODS

A systematic search of PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, and Scopus was conducted from 1980 to May 2018 to identify eligible studies. Methodological quality of these studies was assessed by 2 independent reviewers.

RESULTS

Twenty studies investigated factors related to children's self-reported mental health or QOL. Fourteen studies examined these factors from the perspectives of both children and their parents. Overall, risk factors for poor QOL included infratentorial tumors, radiation, hydrocephalus, lower IQ, and behavioral problems. Only 5 studies examined mental health outcomes, the findings of which were mixed. Relatively few studies examined psychosocial variables related to children's SWB.

CONCLUSIONS

Although several risk factors for poor QOL were identified, further research investigating mental health outcomes and the influence of psychosocial factors on children's SWB is needed to guide support interventions for pediatric brain tumor.

The Big Five personality factors and psychological well-being following stroke: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To identify and appraise studies investigating the relationship between the Big Five personality factors and psychological well-being following stroke and evidence for personality change.

METHODS

Systematic searches of six databases (PsychINFO, CINAHL, Ovid Medline, Cochrane, PubMed, and Web of Science) were conducted from inception to June 2017. Studies involving adult stroke samples that employed a validated measure of at least one of the Big Five personality factors were included. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility and methodological quality of studies.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were identified that assessed associations between personality and psychological well-being after stroke (nine studies) or post-stroke personality change (two studies). A consistent finding was that higher neuroticism was significantly related to poorer psychological well-being. The evidence for the other Big Five factors was mixed. In terms of personality change, two cross-sectional studies reported high rates of elevated neuroticism (38-48%) and low extraversion (33-40%) relative to normative data. Different questionnaires and approaches to measuring personality (i.e., self vs. informant ratings, premorbid personality vs. current personality) complicated comparisons between studies.

CONCLUSIONS

People high on neuroticism are at increased risk of poor psychological well-being after stroke. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to address the limited research on post-stroke personality change. Implications for rehabilitation High neuroticism is associated with poorer psychological well-being after stroke. Assessing personality characteristics early after stroke may help to identify those at risk of poor psychological outcomes.

'We don't even have Wi-Fi': a descriptive study exploring current use and availability of communication technologies in residential aged care

BACKGROUND

There has been significant growth in communication technologies. However, it is unknown to what extent RACFs accommodate such technologies.

AIM

To explore the use and availability of communication technologies for use by residents within RACFs in Queensland, Australia.

METHODS

A descriptive, structured telephone survey. Every 10th alphabetically listed facility from a total sample of n = 462 were telephoned and staff were invited to complete the survey.

RESULTS

Forty-one out of a total of 93 RACFs completed the survey. The telephone was by far the primary form of communication used by residents to communicate with family and friends (n = 40; 97.6%). Conversely, the use of web-connection communication software (Skype or similar) was uncommon.

CONCLUSION

The use and availability of communication technologies is limited within RACFs, highlighting a significant lag in the uptake within the sector.

Do People With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Benefit From Making Errors? A Randomized Controlled Trial of Error-Based and Errorless Learning

Background. Errorless learning (ELL) and error-based learning (EBL) are commonly used approaches to rehabilitation for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, it is unknown whether making errors is beneficial in the learning process to promote skills generalization after severe TBI. Objective. To compare the efficacy of ELL and EBL for improving skills generalization, self-awareness, behavioral competency, and psychosocial functioning after severe TBI. Method. A total of 54 adults (79% male; mean age = 38.0 years, SD = 13.4) with severe TBI were randomly allocated to ELL or EBL and received 8 × 1.5-hour therapy sessions that involved meal preparation and other goal-directed activities. The primary outcome was total errors on the Cooking Task (near-transfer). Secondary outcome measures included the Zoo Map Test (far-transfer), Awareness Questionnaire, Patient Competency Rating Scale, Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale, and Care and Needs Scale. Results. Controlling for baseline performance and years of education, participants in the EBL group made significantly fewer errors at postintervention (mean = 36.25; 95% CI = 32.5-40.0) than ELL participants (mean = 42.57; 95% CI = 38.8-46.3). EBL participants also demonstrated greater self-awareness and behavioral competency at postintervention than ELL participants ( P < .05). There were no significant differences on other secondary outcomes ( P > .05), or at the 6-month follow-up assessment. Conclusion. EBL was found to be more effective than ELL for enhancing skills generalization on a task related to training and improving self-awareness and behavioral competency.

Associations between executive functions and mental health outcomes for adults with autism spectrum disorder

Associations between executive functions (EF) and mental-health in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were examined. Forty-two adults with ASD completed measures of EF, mood and self-concept. Better concept formation and social inference skills were significantly associated with fewer anxiety symptoms. Conversely, participants with better non-verbal reasoning, cognitive flexibility and social cognition reported more negative self-concept and lower self-esteem. Overall, individuals with impaired EF are more prone to anxiety, whereas those with stronger EF are more likely to experience negative self-concept. Screening for and monitoring mental-health concerns in people with ASD regardless of their level of EF is recommended.