Experience of family function, family involvement, and self‐management in adult patients with type 2 diabetes: A thematic analysis

The experiences of caring for disabled older adults in long-term: A qualitative study from the perspective of spousal caregivers

OBJECTIVE

To explore the care experiences of spouses as long-term and primary caregivers for disabled older adults in China.

METHODS

A descriptive phenomenological method was used in this study, as well as purposive and convenient sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 spousal caregivers in Guangdong, China, from March to December 2021. Interview audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis method.

RESULTS

We identified four themes from the data: spousal care motivation; sacrifices in caregiving; obstacles in caregiving; spousal caregivers' positive experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Spouses took responsibility for providing care for their disabled partners regardless of their willingness. They had positive experiences while providing care, but negative experiences were dominant, especially for spouses of severely disabled older adults. Spouses are always perfect in caregiving roles, although they may also need medical assistance. To prevent a decline in spousal caregivers' quality of life and relieve their care burdens, health care providers should support them as soon as possible or offer formal care for disabled older adults. It is necessary to intervene considering disabled older adults and their spousal caregivers as a unit to empower their confidence in coping with life together.

Interventions for family support in cardiometabolic disease: An integrative review

AIM

To evaluate how family support affects cardiometabolic outcomes.

DESIGN

Integrative literature review.

SOURCES

PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and Scopus were searched for peer-reviewed primary research published between 2016 and 2021.

METHODS

Independent screening of 1661 citations resulted in 17 international publications involving 16 experimental studies selected. Data were analysed using a constant comparison method.

RESULTS

While the interventions varied regarding target, duration, setting and the profession of the interventionists, all studies demonstrated some level of the effectiveness for family involvement and support in the management of cardiometabolic diseases. The studies found improvement in health behaviours and clinical/psychosocial outcomes for the patients and the family members.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings from this review, we recommend utilizing the following for future family interventions in the management of diabetes and/or hypertension: (1) broader definitions of family and structures; (2) a community participatory/action-research method with embedded healthcare workers; (3) an interdisciplinary approach with attention to goal-setting; (4) multimodal interventions including technology; (5) culturally tailoring interventions for relevance as needed; and (6) clear direction regarding support role and tools.

Exploring typologies of appraisals, involvement, and distress in type 2 diabetes family members

The present study conducted a latent profile analysis from a US national sample of 446 family members to identify and predict unique clusters of family members' PWD illness appraisals, involvement, and psychological distress. Time since diagnosis, diabetes adherence, the relationship with the PWD, age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, and economic pressure were included as predictors. Class membership was used to predict the family members' own health behaviors (sleep quality, days of physical activity, and diet quality). Results revealed four distinct classes: Moderately Concerned, Involved, and Distressed (32.51%), Least Concerned, Distressed, and Involved (27.13%), Less Concerned and Distressed, Moderately Involved (23.77%), and Most Concerned, Involved, and Distressed (16.82%). The significant predictors and outcomes of class membership revealed interesting patterns in associations with class membership. Consequently, in addition to involving family members, health promotion and intervention efforts must consider the psychological health and illness appraisals of family members rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Network structure of family function and self-management in patients with early chronic kidney disease amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Family function plays a pivotal role in self-management among patients with early chronic kidney disease (CKD), which has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have investigated the relationships between family function and self-management using total scores through self-report questionnaires while ignoring the different components in both family function and self-management. The specific objective of this study was to explore the network structure of family function and self-management at the component level.

Methods

A total of 360 patients with early CKD from three tertiary hospitals were enrolled in our cross-sectional survey from September to December 2021 in China. Components of family function were measured by the Family Adaptation Partnership Growth and Resolve Index, and components of self-management were measured by the Chronic Kidney Disease Self-management Instrument. Network analysis was used to establish the network structure.

Results

Edges across the community of family function and self-management were mainly positive. Edges between F3 "Growth" and M1 "Self-integration", F2 "Partnership" and M3 "Seeking social support," F5 "Resolve" and M3 "Seeking social support" were the strongest. F3 "Growth" had the greatest positive bridge expected influence of family function community (0.12), and M3 "Seeking social support" had the greatest positive bridge expected influence of self-management community (0.16).

Conclusion

We explored the potential pathways between different components of family function and self-management among patients with early CKD during the COVID-19 pandemic and found fine-grained relationships between them. The two nodes F3 "Growth" and M3 "Seeking social support" may provide a new idea from the perspective of family function for interventions to improve self-management.

Factors affecting nonadherence to treatment among type 2 diabetic patients with limited health literacy: Perspectives of patients, their families, and healthcare providers

BACKGROUND

Treatment adherence is one of the behaviors associated with type 2 diabetes that predicts whether it will be successfully treated or develop complications and become uncontrolled. This study aimed to determine factors affecting nonadherence to treatment among diabetic patients with limited health literacy from the perspectives of patients, their families, and healthcare providers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This qualitative study with a content analysis approach was conducted on 84 eligible type 2 diabetes patients with limited health literacy and poor adherence to treatment, as well as their families and healthcare providers using a purposive sampling method, in Kerman city in 2021. Interviews were conducted using a semistructured interview guide with a broad, open-ended question to provide a general history of the disease separately. The interviewer asked participants to identify the perceived barriers to treatment nonadherence. Each interview lasted 45-60 min. MAXQDA version 20 and inductive content analysis were used to code and analyze extracted data.

RESULTS

Four major themes emerged from the patients' perspectives as "financial problems," "individual factors," "problems related to medication availability," and "healthcare providers' poor practices." Two major themes were classified from the perspective of patients' families as "financial problems" and "Individual factors," and four major themes were identified from the viewpoint of healthcare providers including "financial problems," "individual factors," "scarcity and medication availability," and "poor practice of the healthcare provider." These mentioned barriers were confirmed regarding treatment nonadherence among study participants.

CONCLUSION

Study findings revealed different factors of treatment nonadherence among diabetic patients with limited health literacy. Therefore, these factors should be considered in tailoring promotive educational and supportive interventions. Considering the importance of adherence to treatment patients, planning empowerment family-based interventions focusing on health literacy improvement seems necessary.

The effect of family-based intervention for adults with diabetes on HbA1c and other health-related outcomes: Systematic review and meta-analysis

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of family-based intervention for adults with diabetes on glycosylated haemoglobin and other health-related outcomes.

BACKGROUND

The impact of family-based intervention on adults with diabetes has been evaluated in various studies, but there is uncertainty about their effect on health-related outcomes for adults with diabetes.

DESIGN

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

METHODS

A review was performed and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Six relevant databases were searched from inception to 5 March 2021. Heterogeneity between studies was quantified by using Higgins' I² test. Sensibility and subgroup analyses were used to explore potential heterogeneity.

RESULTS

The review included 23 studies (3,114 participants). Family-based intervention had a significant effect on improving glycosylated haemoglobin levels, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting glucose, diabetes self-care, diabetes self-efficacy, diabetes distress and positive family support. Non-significant results were obtained for blood lipid, body weight, depression and negative family support. In particular, subgroup analyses indicated that family-based intervention in Asian regions was more effective in improving glycosylated haemoglobin levels than in other areas.

CONCLUSION

Family-based intervention may improve diabetes control, diabetes self-care, psychological well-being and positive family support in adults with diabetes and is especially effective in Asian regions. Given the limitations in current studies, further studies are recommended to combine family theory with family-based intervention, and to examine the effectiveness of such intervention for family members.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This review and meta-analysis provides evidence that family-based intervention can improve positive family support, which has a good effect on diabetes control and psychological well-being in adults with diabetes, and it is especially effective in Asian regions. Findings suggested that unreinforced participation by family members and integrating flexible strategies into family-based intervention may be equally effective.

Factors associated with self-management behaviors of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

AIMS

To examine self-management behaviors level and discuss the associated factors among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

METHODS

A descriptive study design was used. A convenience sample of 124 COPD patients was recruited from three hospitals in Fuzhou. Self-management Behaviors, Social Support Rating Scale and The Family APGAR Score were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The overall score of self-management behaviors ranged 4-41, with a mean score of 21.26 ± 7.72. Pearson correlation analyses and ANOVA revealed that age, course of disease, education, marital status, family function, subjective support, objective support, and availability of support were positively correlated with overall self-management behaviors (p < .05). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that subjective support and availability of support significantly predicted self-management behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

The level of self-management behaviors of COPD patients was suboptimal. We suggest that people in the patients' social network should provide support for them, and help them use available resources to improve the level of self-management behaviors.

Family perceptions and experiences of living with patients with fibromyalgia syndrome

PURPOSE

To explore the perception of the illness and the experience of the illness for relatives of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This qualitative interpretative study adopted a grounded theory research methodology with a purposive sample. We conducted a focus group with 11 family members of FMS patients. There were six men and five women, five were spouses and six were children (four husbands and one wife, and five daughters and one son).

RESULTS

Three categories of family perceptions of FMS emerged: (1) manifestations of FMS; (2) FMS is regarded as a psychological problem; (3) FMS interferes with traditional gender roles. Three categories of family members' experience of living with FMS patients were identified: (1) emotional concerns and exhaustion; (2) overprotective family members; and (3) escape coping.

CONCLUSIONS

Family members feel emotionally burdened, can be overprotective and over-involved and find it difficult to set limits ultimately succumbing to a vicious cycle of caregiving and emotional exhaustion from which they find it difficult to escape. As the perceptions and experiences of family members of FMS patients are not commonly studied, the present findings offer new insights for families and elucidate important points of intervention.Implications for rehabilitationBecause family members tend to dismiss fibromyalgia as a psychological problem for which ignoring or distracting the patient is the best approach to coping, rehabilitation programs should give family members education and training to develop the ability to better understand fibromyalgia and reduce stereotypes about the condition.Rehabilitation programs should work to identify and manage marital and family systems dysfunction that may be interfering with fibromyalgia patients' adjustment and quality of life.Family members often engage in maladaptive escape coping to manage the demands of living with patients with fibromyalgia, and rehabilitation professionals should be ready to engage and refer to allied specialists to assist family members in finding alternatives for more effective coping approaches that improve patient and family mental health and social relations.Rehabilitation programs for fibromyalgia patients should use a gender perspective and emphasize patient and spouse equality in activities of daily living as many patients and family members feel uncomfortable about not fulfilling traditional gender roles.