8 research outputs found
Illness trajectories in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: How illness progression is related to life narratives and interpersonal relationships
No full textAims and objectives: To identify illness trajectories in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
by analysing personal, social and functional dimensions related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression.
Background: Previous studies have considered some psychological distinct variables
that may moderate illness progression, but no research has combined an extensive
qualitative understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients’ psychological
characteristics and illness progression.
Design: A mixed-methods approach was used to combine quantitative and qualitative measures. Illness progression was assessed through a longitudinal design.
Methods: Eighteen patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis attending a Neurology Department in northern Italy participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews to explore personal experience, and dependency grids to assess the
distribution of dependency; ALSFRS-R and neuropsychological screening were,
respectively, used to measure physical and cognitive impairment. To assess the progression of the disease, ALSFRS-R was re-administered after 8 months and mortality
rate was considered. Data were analysed using the grounded theory approach.
Results: Illness progression changed according to the perception of the disease, the
trust placed in medical care, self-construction and the distribution of dependency.
Based on these categories, cases that had similar experiences were grouped, and
four illness trajectories were identified: aggressiveness, threat, constriction and guilt.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that it is possible to identify different illness trajectories in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Relevance to clinical practice: Personalised intervention strategies may be construed based on the different trajectories identifie
Sexual assistance in Italy: An explorative study on the opinions of people with disabilities and would-be assistants
No full textMutual support groups for family caregivers of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a pilot study
No full textFamily caregivers of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) live stressful lives in which they spend most of their time caring for their loved ones and managing difficult situations, thereby reducing the time spent in taking care of themselves. This situation may last several years. Previous literature has widely highlighted that this situation reduces caregivers’ quality of life and increases their psychological distress and risk of health problems, but there is a lack of studies that focus on psychological interventions for these situations. This qualitative study examined a pilot experience of two mutual support groups for family caregivers of people with ALS. The aim was to identify caregivers’ needs, the prominent aspects of their experience, and to understand whether and how this intervention strategy might help them. Six partners (four men and two women) and six adult children (five women and one man) participated in the groups, which were conducted in northern Italy. After the support groups finished, participants underwent semi‐structured interviews. The authors conducted a content analysis of the transcripts of the interviews and the 20 group sessions. The thematic areas identified were “caregiving,” “being the son/daughter of a person with ALS,” “being the partner of a person with ALS,” “group experience” and “group evaluation.” The caregiving experience was profoundly different depending on whether the caregiver was a son/daughter or a partner of a patient with ALS. Moreover, comparison with peers and mutual support helped participants to better cope with ALS and its consequences, to improve their care for their relatives and to overcome typical caregiver isolation. These results suggest the usefulness of involving communities in caregiver support in order to create new networks and activate personal and social resources for well‐being
Mutual support groups for family caregivers of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Italy: A pilot study
No full textThe Sexual and Parenting Rights of People with Physical and Psychical Disabilities: Attitudes of Italians and Socio-Demographic Factors Involved in Recognition and Denial
No full textThe sexual and parenting rights (SPRs) of people with disabilities (PwDs) are under-recognized. Sociodemographic factors may influence attitudes towards them. The aims of this study were: (1) to analyze the levels of agreement of a sample of Italian people with some SPRs of PwDs; (2) to inquire if the SPRs of people with psychical disabilities (PwPSYDs) were less recognized than those with physical disabilities (PwPHDs); (3) to verify if sociodemographic characteristics associated with under-recognition. An online anonymous survey was distributed using non-random sampling methods to conduct an inquiry into the level of agreement with statements regarding the SPRs of PwPHDs and PwPSYDs to have satisfying sexuality, to marry, and to adopt children. Answers from 973 Italian participants, aged 18–84 years (71.1% females) were analyzed. At least 70% of respondents declared in favor of the SPRs of PwPHDs. The SPRs of PwPSYDs were always subjected to higher under-recognition. Religiosity, male sex, higher age, and lower education were the factors most often associated with being against the SPRs of PwDs. Improved identification of the less tolerant respondents and the less recognized categories may allow for specific strategies for promoting the recognition of the SPRs for PwDs
Measurement of spin correlations in tf production using the matrix element method in the muon plus jets final state in pp collisions at root S=8 TeV
No full textThe consistency of the spin correlation strength in top quark pair production with the standard model (SM) prediction is tested in the muon+jets final state. The events are selected from pp collisions, collected by the CMS detector, at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The data are compared with the expectation for the spin correlation predicted by the SM and with the expectation of no correlation. Using a template fit method, the fraction of events that show SM spin correlations is measured to be 0.72 0.08 (stat)(-013)(+015) (syst), representing the most precise measurement of this quantity in the muon+jets final state to date. (C) 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.orglicenses/by/4.01)
Study of Z boson production in pPb collisions at root S-NN=5.02 TeV
No full textThe production of Z bosons in pPb collisions at root S-NN = 5.02 TeV is studied by the CMS experiment via the electron and muon decay channels. The inclusive cross section is compared to pp collision predictions, and found to scale with the number of elementary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The differential cross sections as a function of the Z boson rapidity and transverse momentum are measured. Though they are found to be consistent within uncertainty with theoretical predictions both with and without nuclear effects, the forward-backward asymmetry suggests the presence of nuclear effects at large rapidities. These results provide new data for constraining nuclear parton distribution functions. (C) 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V
Search for supersymmetry in electroweak production with photons and large missing transverse energy in pp collisions at root s=8TeV
No full textResults are reported from a search for supersymmetry with gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking in electroweak production. Final states with photons and large missing transverse energy (E-T(miss)) were examined. The data sample was collected in pp collisions at root s = 8TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to 7.4fb(-1). The analysis focuses on scenarios in which the lightest neutralino has bino- or wino-like components, resulting in decays to photons and gravitinos, where the gravitinos escape undetected. The data were obtained using a specially designed trigger with dedicated low thresholds, providing good sensitivity to signatures with photons, E-T(miss), and low hadronic energy. No excess of events over the standard model expectation is observed. The results are interpreted using the model of general gauge mediation. With the wino mass fixed at 10GeV above that of the bino, wino masses below 710GeV are excluded at 95 confidence level. Constraints are also set in the context of two simplified models, for which the analysis sets the lowest cross section limits on the electroweak production of supersymmetric particles. (C) 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
