The emotional experience of mothers of children with haemophilia: maternal guilt, effective coping strategies and resilience within the haemophilia community

Vortex of regret: How positive and negative coping strategies correlate with feelings of guilt

Bad coping behavior and guilt may reinforce each other as a negative feedback loop. Social contexts and expectations may also create cognitive dissonance in coping individuals and affect the effectiveness of coping styles. This study examines the associations between the feeling of guilt and specific coping styles belonging to both groups of positive and negative coping styles. We conducted Bayesian Multiple Regression analyses on secondary data from 3784 high school students in China. Positive coping is associated more with reduced feelings of guilt compared to negative coping. However, some positive coping styles were found to be positively associated with a sense of guilt, especially those involving confrontation against or conformity to social expectations. Most negative coping styles are positively associated with guilt, and substance use has the strongest influence among the examined negative coping styles. The findings suggest that the consideration of sociocultural contexts is very important in supporting those with guilt issues, especially adolescents in societies with dominant traditional East Asian values.

The good, the bad and the ugly of pain in haemophilia: Recent evidence on the epidemiology, molecular mechanisms and knowledge gaps preventing optimal treatment

INTRODUCTION

Haemophilia is an inherited, X-linked blood clotting disorder caused by the deficiency of coagulation factors VIII (FVIII, haemophilia A) or IX (FIX, haemophilia B). Spontaneous bleeds are common in severe forms of haemophilia and can also occur in moderate and mild haemophilia. Severe or repeated bleeding at a joint can evolve into chronic haemophilic arthropathy, with functional damage of the joint, disability, and intense chronic articular pain. Nonetheless, acute and chronic pain may emerge due to secondary conditions related to bleedings.

AIM

This narrative review aims to critically discuss the most recent evidence about pain in haemophilia to give healthcare professionals a clear picture of current knowledge hence favouring the optimisation of clinical management of pain.

METHODS

Extensive literature search with the terms 'hemophilia' AND 'pain', focusing on the time window 2021-2023.

RESULTS

Acute and chronic pain is a critical aspect of haemophilia at all ages. It should be considered a multifaceted phenomenon, with a positive role as an early emergency signal of a clinical event (haemarthrosis), and numerous detrimental aspects linked to its burden that heavily affects the health-related quality of life, with psychological and social consequences.

CONCLUSION

Despite its prevalence and frequency in people with haemophilia, pain is often underestimated by healthcare professionals, leading to insufficient and inadequate treatment, also due to uncertainty linked to the presence of the coagulation disorder or arthritic flares.

Exploring Female Relatives of Patients with Hemophilia' Awareness, Attitudes, and Understanding Towards Genetic Testing

Purpose

A better understanding of the factors that influence engagement is needed to provide a reference for conducting genetic testing in female relatives of patients with hemophilia (PWH). We therefore determined the perceptions and understanding of genetic testing among female relatives of PWH in China.

Methods

We carried out a qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 11 female relatives of PWH in Shanxi Province, China. The resulting data were analyzed using thematic analyses.

Results

This study extracted four topics: uncertainty about carrier genetic status; limited understanding of genetic testing; coexistence of positive and negative coping; and multi-aspect demands.

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals should provide personalized and multidimensional health education and comprehensive decision-making support to female relatives of PWH, to enhance their motivation and willingness to undergo genetic testing. It is also important to actively improve relevant policies, strengthen the genetic testing service system, and promote the popularization of genetic testing in female relatives of PWH.