The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) as a community participation model for people with multiple sclerosis: A hierarchical regression analysis

Goal-setting and personalization under the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health framework: Community reintegration program for post-stroke patients

Background

Body functions and structures, activities, and participation are the core components in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) to identify post-stroke patients' health conditions. The specification of health conditions enhances the outcomes of post-stroke rehabilitation.

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the extent and the processes in an ICF-based post-stroke rehabilitation program (ICF-PSRP) that could enhance patients' community reintegration level.

Methods

Post-stroke patients who completed the ICF-PSRP participated in intake and pre-discharge individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews. In addition, case therapists were invited to a face-to-face semi-structured group interview. Clinician experts were invited to complete an interview with the same interview contents as case therapists but in an online format. All interview recordings were analyzed with the Framework analysis. Patients' treatment goals were mapped with the ICF Core Set for Stroke.

Results

Out of 37 invited post-stroke patients, thirty-three of them completed the interview. Three case therapists and five clinicians completed the interviews. The goals set by the patients and their caregivers showed a broadening of their scope over the course of the program. The changes in scope ranged from the activities to the participation and environmental components. Increases in patient-therapist interactions played an essential role in the goal-setting process, which were integral to personalizing the treatment content. These characteristics were perceived by all parties who contributed to the program outcomes.

Conclusion

The application of ICF's principles and core components offers a useful framework for enhancing post-stroke patients' community reintegration level. Future studies should explore the way in which patient-therapist interaction, exposure to environmental factors, and personalized interventions maximize the benefits of applying this framework to the community integration of post-stroke patients.

Resilience as a Moderator in the Relationship between Disability Related Stress and Community Participation in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Resilience can be defined as one's ability to maintain or return to relatively stable psychological and physical functioning despite stressful life events and adversity. For people with multiple sclerosis (MS), building resilience has been shown to contribute to enhanced positive rehabilitation and mental health outcomes. However, there is no literature examining the role of resilience influencing the relationship between disability-related stress and community participation in individuals with MS. The present study aimed to examine the moderating role of resilience between disability-related stress and community participation among people with MS. Our findings suggested that the effect of disability-related stress on community participation was influenced by resilience. Interventions targeting resilience may help individuals effectively cope with MS and increase community participation in meaningful life situations.

A Psychometric Validation of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire in a Sample of Turkish Cancer Survivors

Community participation and autonomy are two of the vital treatments and rehabilitation outcomes for people with chronic health conditions and disabilities, including people with cancer. The purpose of this study is to investigate psychometric properties of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Scale (IPA) in a sample of Turkish cancer survivors. An exploratory factor analysis was used to analyze data collected from 186 cancer survivors who completed the IPA, Health Care Climate Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Role Functioning subscale of the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire. In contrast to the original five-factor solution, the results provided a better fit for a three-factor correlated model ( Activities of Daily Living [ADL]/ Instrumental ADL, social relations, and employment and education). The IPA factors were significantly associated with supportive healthcare climate, role functioning, and life satisfaction in the theoretically expected directions, providing support for the nomological construct validity of the Turkish version of the IPA. Overall, the Turkish version of the IPA is a psychometrically sound measure of participation and autonomy that can be used to assess cancer survivors’ levels of community participation for treatment planning and selection of evidence-based healthcare and psychosocial interventions for cancer survivors.

Psychometric Validation of the Brief-COPE Scale in a Sample of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis: A Brief Report

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) must often cope with high levels of stress, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Brief-COPE is commonly used to assess how individuals use different coping strategies to deal with stressful life situations, but its application with people who have MS has not been validated. The purpose of this study was to assess the measurement structure and psychometric properties of the Brief-COPE in a sample of community-dwelling adults with multiple sclerosis, using exploratory factor analysis. Results revealed a three-factor measurement structure: (a) flexible coping, (b) succumbing coping, and (c) substance use coping. Correlations among these three factors and external measures of related concepts provided evidence of the validity of these factors. The Brief-COPE can be incorporated in rehabilitation counseling, mental health, and health care settings to assess coping strategies, assisting people with MS with managing stressful life events during and after the pandemic. Rehabilitation and health researchers can use it to assess the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions aimed to improve coping abilities and mental health of people with MS.

The Impact of Entrepreneurial Optimism and Labor Law on Business Performance of New Ventures

The purpose is to study the internal relationship between entrepreneurial optimism and business performance of new ventures, and the impact of entrepreneurial optimism on the business performance of new ventures. Based on the literature review, the hypotheses that entrepreneurial optimism has a positive impact on the business performance of new ventures and that labor law plays a mediating role in the impact are put forward. Then, the questionnaire is designed according to the maturity scale, and 200 questionnaires are collected. Finally, the descriptive statistical analysis, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis of the theoretical model and hypothesis are carried out by using the statistical analysis software spsss22.0. The results show that each dimension of entrepreneurial optimism has a significant positive impact on the business performance of new ventures, and labor law plays a mediating role between them. This study provides a new idea for the establishment of the performance impact mechanism of new ventures and helps new entrepreneurs realize the importance of maintaining an optimistic attitude, improving the business performance of new ventures.

Adjusted Indirect and Mixed Comparisons of Interventions for the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures (PROMs) of Disabled Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

This systematic review adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement (PRISMA) guidelines and used the method of network meta-analysis to compare the effects of different types of interventions from different perspectives which were abilities of daily life activity, psychological health, social functioning, and overall life quality. The eligibility criteria were: (1) Participants were adults above 18 years old with disabilities; (2) Interventions could be classified into active exercise, passive therapy, psychological education, psychosocial support program, multi-disciplinary program, and usual care; (3) Outcomes should be the patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that could be classified into abilities of daily life activity, psychological health, social functioning, and overall life quality; (4) Randomized designed and published in English. The keywords and their search field were: (1) “people with disabilities/disability”, “disabled”, “handicapped”, or “disable people” in titles or abstracts; (2) AND “randomized” or “randomised” in titles or abstracts; (3) NOT “design”, “protocol”, or “review” in titles. After searching in databases of Medline (EBSCO), PubMed, CINAHL, and Ovid, 16 studies were included. As a result, active exercise and passive therapy are most likely to be the best interventions for overall life quality, psychological education and passive therapy are most likely to be the best interventions for abilities of daily life activity, and psychosocial support programs are most likely to be the best intervention for psychological health and social functioning.