Family Support in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Religiosity, perceived family support, and gender disclosure of LGBTQ + medical students in Thailand

BACKGROUND

The well-being of LGBTQ + medical students can be influenced by religiosity, family support, and the disclosure of their gender identity or sexual orientation. These factors have frequently been overlooked and warrant further consideration in creating a supportive environment for all students.

METHODS

This multicenter study investigated two main outcomes including the differences in religiosity and perceived family support between LGBTQ + and non-LGBTQ + medical students in Thailand, and the gender disclosure to family among LGBTQ + medical students. It was conducted among students from five medical schools across Thailand, using online questionnaires during the academic year 2021-2022. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, religiosity, gender identity/sexual orientation disclosure to family, and perceived family support. Comparisons between groups were conducted using chi-square test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

RESULTS

Of the 1,322 participants, 31.2% identified themselves as LGBTQ+, among whom 81.8% were Buddhists. The proportion of non-religious LGBTQ + students was significantly higher (vs. non-LGBTQ+; 15.0% vs. 8.4%, respectively; p = 0.001). However, there was no statistical difference in religiosity between LGBTQ + and non-LGBTQ + students as well as between LGBTQ + subgroups. Although, 74% of LGBTQ + students reported good family support, significantly more LGBTQ + students perceived poor family support (vs. non-LGBTQ+, 7.0% vs. 4.7%; p = 0.002). Regarding the disclosure of gender identity or sexual orientation to the family, the majority of LGBTQ + individuals indicated either a non-disclosure or uncertainty. There were significant associations between perceived family support and the likelihood of disclosing one's identity to family members, as better perceived support was associated with higher disclosure rates.

CONCLUSIONS

No statistically significant difference in religiosity was found between LGBTQ + and non-LGBTQ + students. The majority of LGBTQ + medical students reported receiving good family support; however, among those who perceived their family's support to be lacking, there was a greater tendency to conceal their gender identity from their families. For future studies, it is crucial to investigate whether this concealment extends to other spheres of their lives and to assess the potential impact on their well-being, including mental health and quality of life.

Livelihood support for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities: findings from a scoping review and stakeholder survey

PURPOSE

Poverty amongst families with a child with disability adversely impacts child and family quality of life. We aimed to identify existing approaches to livelihood support for caregivers of children with developmental disabilities in low- and middle-income countries.

METHODS

This mixed-method study incorporated a scoping literature review and online stakeholder survey. We utilised the World Health Organization community-based rehabilitation (CBR) matrix as a guiding framework for knowledge synthesis and descriptively analysed the included articles and survey responses.

RESULTS

We included 11 peer-reviewed publications, 6 grey literature articles, and 49 survey responses from stakeholders working in 22 countries. Identified programmes reported direct and indirect strategies for livelihood support targeting multiple elements of the CBR matrix; particularly skills development, access to social protection measures, and self-employment; frequently in collaboration with specialist partners, and as one component of a wider intervention. Self-help groups were also common. No publications examined effectiveness of livelihood support approaches in mitigating poverty, with most describing observational studies at small scale.

CONCLUSION

Whilst stakeholders describe a variety of direct and indirect approaches to livelihood support for caregivers of children with disabilities, there is a lack of published literature on content, process, and impact to inform future programme development and delivery.

Family quality of life and children with disability in Ethiopia: The role of support providers

Background

Family quality of life (FQOL) is an important outcome for families of children with disabilities globally and provision of support is associated with enhanced FQOL. However, FQOL research primarily focuses on conceptualisation and measurement, and originates from high-income contexts despite the fact that most children with disabilities live in low-income countries.

Objectives

The authors examined how Ethiopian disability support providers practically contribute to meeting the needs of families of children with disabilities to enhance FQOL.

Method

Building on a previous study exploring Ethiopian families' perspectives on FQOL, the authors used an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach to interview various support providers. Interviews were conducted virtually (because of the coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] pandemic) in English or with interpreting assistance. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.

Results

Support providers affirmed what families had described as important for FQOL - spirituality, relationships, self-sufficiency - and recognised their enormous support needs. They described various ways to support families - emotionally, physically, materially and informationally. They also expressed challenges and their need for support to meet families' needs.

Conclusion

Ethiopian families of children with disabilities need holistic support that incorporates spirituality, the whole family's needs and disability awareness-raising. Collaborative and committed engagement from all stakeholders is necessary to support Ethiopian families to flourish.

Contribution

This study contributes to global understandings of FQOL and describes practical approaches to support families of children with disabilities in an African context. The findings of this study highlight the influence of spirituality, relationships, self-sufficiency, poverty and stigma and the need for holistic support and disability awareness-raising to enhance FQOL.

Advancing and translating knowledge: a systematic inquiry into the 2010-2020 mental health and psychosocial support intervention research evidence base

Background and study objectives

MHPSS is increasingly seen as a critical component to effective and responsible humanitarian programming. This review examines the extent to which MHPSS research generated since 2010 has contributed to the public health evidence base and how this has influenced and impacted programming and policy in humanitarian settings.

Methods

This mixed-method study included a scoping literature review (n = 50) and a consultation process with qualitative key informant interviews (n = 19) and online survey responses (n = 52) to identify the facilitating and inhibiting factors for the two areas of inquiry and to understand the broader context in which knowledge is generated and taken up. The interviews were thematically analysed and the survey responses were descriptively analysed.

Results

The review identified a rapidly growing evidence base that has evaluated a range of MHPSS interventions. However, few studies examined long-term impacts of interventions, there was limited direct evidence on outcomes for children and adolescents and whole family approaches, and there were minimal replications of the same approach that could test efficacy across settings and population groups. A general shift was identified in the consultation process away from a focus on disorder towards the more positive aspects of wellbeing. However, there remained a mismatch in many studies included in the literature review, whereby the interventions were broad, community-based but the outcome measures used still focused on changes in symptoms of mental disorders.

Conclusion

The evidence base for MHPSS has grown significantly over the last 10 years. However, several knowledge gaps remain, as does the divide between research and practice. Moving forward, MHPSS intervention research needs to be more responsive to the needs on the ground.

Responding to social change: innovativeness, entrepreneurial alertness, and entrepreneurial intention in Nigeria: the role of family support

Presently, entrepreneurship has become one of the adequate remedies to ameliorate various economic and social problems. Thus, to boost entrepreneurship, the Nigerian government has opted to include entrepreneurial studies in tertiary institutions; to increase students’ entrepreneurial prowess and intentions. Understanding the factors inherent in the entrepreneurial process is imperative for entrepreneurial development. This present study addresses university students and entrepreneurial intention: the moderating role of family support in the relationships between innovativeness and entrepreneurial alertness on students’ entrepreneurial intention. The researchers adopted an exploratory quantitative approach using a purposive sampling technique. A total of 1383 students participated in the study across the federal universities in the southeast geopolitical zone in Nigeria. The findings showed that innovativeness, entrepreneurial alertness, and family support are positively associated with entrepreneurial intention. In addition, family support moderated the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness and entrepreneurial intention among undergraduate students but did not affect innovativeness. Our findings suggest that educators and policymakers need to consider the role of exogenous factors (e.g., family support) when seeking to promote entrepreneurial actions of college students through policies or educational programs and to rethink the current models of entrepreneurial education that are prevalent in our educational system to imbibe inclusiveness of both exogenous and endogenous factors that influence entrepreneurship.

Understanding the Implications of Peer Support for Families of Children With Neurodevelopmental and Intellectual Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Background: Families are integrally involved in day-to-day caregiving of children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities (NDID). Given the widespread and increasing prevalence of children with NDID and the impact of family caregiving on psychological, social, and economic implications for both the child and family, understanding and supporting these families is an important public health concern. Objective: We conducted a scoping review on peer support networks to understand their implications on families. Considering increasing prevalence of NDID's, understanding the implications of existing networks is critical to improve and nurture future support networks that can complement and reduce the burden on existing formal support systems. Design: A comprehensive search of multiple databases was conducted. Articles were screened by two reviewers and any disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. We explored existing research on parent-to-parent peer support networks, which included networks that developed informally as well as those that involved a formal facilitator for the group interpersonal processes. There were no limits on the study design, date and setting of the articles. We included all research studies in English that included an identifier for (i) "peer support networks," (ii) "children with neurodevelopmental and intellectual disabilities" and (iii) "family caregiver outcomes." Results: We identified 36 articles. Majority of the studies were conducted in North America, and were face to face networks. They included families of children with a wide range of NDIDs. Relevant information extracted from different studies highlighted peer support network characteristics and development process, needs of family caregivers attending these networks, factors affecting caregiver participation and the impact of peer support networks on family caregivers. These networks represent a way to strengthen family caregivers, developing resilience and social interactions. Family caregivers sharing similar experiences support one another and provide critical information to each other. Although results are encouraging, future studies incorporating improved study designs are needed to better evaluate the effectiveness of peer support networks. Furthermore, studies where peer support networks develop organically while the child is supported are warranted. Conclusion: Although results obtained are encouraging, our findings support the need for further research studies of peer support networks with better designs and more detailed description of the factors involved in the development.

Needs of families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Addis Ababa

BACKGROUND

Family support is an essential component of caring for children with intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), however, specific family support needs in developing countries, such as Ethiopia, have received minimal attention in the literature to date.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to understand the specific disability-related support needs of families with children with IDD in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We answered the following questions: (1) How do family members of children with IDD in the Mekaneyesus Centre in Addis Ababa currently meet their disability-related support needs?; (2) what are these family members' most pressing unmet disability-related needs? and (3) how do family members perceive their capacity to meet their support needs?

METHOD

This study drew from an exploratory qualitative descriptive approach with 16 family members of children with IDD, recruited from a centre for children with IDD. We conducted semi-structured interviews in Amharic. We transcribed and translated interviews into English and guided by a conceptual framework for family support from Kyzar et al. (2012), we thematically analysed the data.

RESULTS

Participants identified instrumental and emotional needs to be most prominent, with additional discussion around various physical and informational needs. Participants identified childcare as the most significant unmet need, which resulted in the loss of various important life roles. The participants discussed major sources of support coming from spirituality, family members and community. Stigma emerged as a critical family support theme external to the Kyzar et al. (2012) classifications of family support.

CONCLUSION

Although family members are adapting and responding to meet their needs in the best way they can, additional support, particularly related to childcare and future planning, is essential.

Family support and family and child-related outcomes among families impacted by disability in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review

There is a growing interest in understanding the relationship between family support and family or child-related outcomes in high-income countries. However, this has received little attention in low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this review was to explore the relationship between family support and family and child-related outcomes among families affected by disability in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a scoping review of five databases using search terms related to 'family', 'support', 'child', and 'disability'. A total of 13 articles met the inclusion criteria. Families of children with disabilities received most of their support from informal sources (e.g. immediate family members, friends, and parents support groups). Parental stress was most often evaluated as the family outcome and was negatively linked to emotional support and childcare assistance from immediate family members. Movement and mobility therapy offered by rehabilitation professionals was found to improve children's walking patterns. Positive attitudes from community members were key facilitators to participation of children with disabilities in social activities. The review calls for urgent attention to research in low- and middle-income countries, particularly the extent of support families are receiving from government-led support systems.

Caregivers' and parents' explanatory models of intellectual disability in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa

BACKGROUND

Post-apartheid, understanding and management of intellectual disability remain poor in South Africa, complicated by various contextual and cultural explanations used to describe and conceptualize this condition.

METHOD

We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with primary caregivers and parents of children with intellectual disability residing in Khayelitsha, a low-income setting in Cape Town, South Africa. We used Kleinman's Explanatory Models (EMs) of illness to explore terms used to describe and conceptualize this condition.

RESULTS

Carers' explanatory models included biomedical causes, injuries during pregnancy or birth, as well as spiritual causes. It was reported that there were significant difficulties in accessing services and support, and difficulties with coping in the context of extreme poverty and deprivation.

CONCLUSIONS

Current findings highlight a need for collaboration between the biomedical and alternative healthcare systems in educating carers and parents regarding intellectual disability.