Benefits of a 3-week outpatient balneotherapy programme on patient-reported outcomes

BACKGROUND

Analysis of the health profile of participants aged over 65 has been initiated in balneotherapy.

AIMS

To determine the benefits of a 3-week outpatient balneotherapy program on patient-reported outcomes.

METHODS

Our sample consisted of 1471 people. The average age of the study population was 72.5 years (± 5.1) and 67% of the participants were females. Symptoms intensity was measured by visual analogue scale, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) with the EQ5D questionnaire before and after the program. Changes of perceived functional status were rated using a 3-point Likert scale.

RESULTS

The results indicated a significant increase in the fear of falling and a decrease in fatigue. EQ5D reveals a significant improvement after the program. The perceived change scores remained stable, except for anxiety/depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The study indicated significant improvements of HRQL and a decrease of perception of fatigue and anxiety in elderly people participants in a 3-week balneological programme.

The unique predictive value of discrete depressive symptoms on derailment

BACKGROUND

Studies have consistently demonstrated a positive cross-sectional association between depressive symptoms and derailment, or the sense of being "off-course" in life. Still unknown is whether all symptoms of depression similarly relate to derailment. Given that depressive symptoms do not weigh equally in the prediction of other important outcomes, this study aimed to bridge the gap between these novel findings and emerging perspectives focused on the impact of individual depressive symptoms.

METHODS

The study was preregistered prior to data collection. The analytic sample contained 1,457 adults (M_age = 37.46 years, 54.22% female) recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants self-reported on depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and perceived changes in identity and self-direction using the Derailment Scale.

RESULTS

All symptoms of depression shared positive unadjusted associations with derailment. Feelings of failure, fatigue, and sleep problems shared positive unique associations with derailment, and represented the top three contributors to the explained variance in derailment.

LIMITATIONS

This study relied on self-report methods, making results vulnerable to bias (e.g., social desirability, errors in memory, interpretation).

CONCLUSIONS

As work understanding the association between depressive symptoms and derailment continues to unfold, this study has provided markers for researchers and clinicians by suggesting that those who feel like they have failed, are fatigued, or report sleep problems may be the most likely to feel off-course and disconnected from their past selves. This work helps establish the utility of considering identity within the context of mental health, and future directions stemming from these findings are discussed.