Support Needs (support + need)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Support needs and acceptability of psychological and peer consultation: attitudes of 108 women who had undergone or were considering prophylactic mastectomy

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 8 2008
Andrea F. Patenaude
Abstract Objective: Prophylactic mastectomy (PM) offers 90% or greater reduction in risk of breast cancer to women at increased hereditary risk. Nonetheless, acceptance in North America is low (0,27%) and 25,50% of women electing surgery report psychological distress and/or difficulty adapting following PM. Most women also report reduced cancer worry postoperatively. Psychological consultation to aid decision-making and post-surgical coping is not routinely offered. This retrospective, cross-sectional study explored interest in and acceptability of psychological consultation for issues related to PM among 108 women who had undergone or were considering surgery. Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 healthy women who had undergone prophylactic mastectomy of both (bilateral) breasts (BPM), 45 women who had undergone prophylactic mastectomy of one breast (unilateral contralateral) (UPM) after diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in the other breast or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and 37 women who were considering having PM surgery. Results: Of the women who had undergone PM, more than half felt pre-surgical psychological consultation was advisable; nearly 2/3 thought post-surgical psychological consultation would be helpful. All women currently considering PM believed psychological consultation would aid decision-making and preparation for surgery. Strong support was reported in all groups for the emotional and informational value of speaking with a woman who had previously undergone PM. Conclusions: Narratives illustrate the nature and intensity of the need for psychological support and describe preferences for the role of the psychologist. Suggestions are offered for integration of psychological services for women deciding about or adapting to PM. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The Reliability, Validity and Practical Utility of Measuring Supports using the I-CAN Instrument: Part II

JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2009
Vivienne C. Riches
Background, There is an urgent need for developing reliable, valid and practical instruments that assess and classify the support needed by persons with disability to function in their chosen living, working and social environments. I-CAN is an instrument that addresses the frequency and level of support needed (not individual skills or deficits) for each individual with a disability. Method, Studies were conducted to assess the test,retest reliability and inter-rater reliability. Concurrent validity was investigated by exploring the relationship between the I-CAN domain scales and the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP) (Bruininks et al. 1986) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q) (Schalock & Keith 1993). Predictive validity studies were undertaken using day- and night-time support hours. Regression analyses were run using these measures with I-CAN domain scales. Two independent studies were also conducted to ascertain the practical utility of the instrument. Results, The I-CAN instrument demonstrated excellent inter-rater and test,retest reliability in the Activities and Participation domains. Low-to-moderate test,retest results in Physical Health, Mental Emotional Health and Behaviour domains were tracked to actual change in support needs in these areas. Validity proved acceptable. The relationships between I-CAN domain scales and adaptive behaviour were mixed but in the expected direction. Low-to-moderate correlation coefficients were evident between the I-CAN scales and the QOL-Q Total, but greater support needed in certain domains was associated with less empowerment and independence, and less community integration and social belonging. Attempts to explain current support hours against the I-CAN scales were disappointing and suggest that a number of other factors apart from individual support need to play a significant role. There was general satisfaction with the assessment process from stakeholders and participant groups. Conclusions, I-CAN is a reliable, valid and user-friendly instrument for assessing the support needs of people with disabilities. It uses a process that involves the persons with disability, their family and friends and staff as appropriate. It is also apparent that the current provision of paid support hours by agencies is a complex phenomenon that is not based solely on individual support needs. Further research is warranted on the influence of the environment and the perceptions of need for support based on negotiable and non-negotiable support needs. [source]


Reports of information and support needs of daughters and sisters of women with breast cancer

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 1 2003
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR , K. CHALMERS RN, MSC(A)
The aim of this study was to describe the information and support needs of women who have primary relatives with breast cancer. The Information and Support Needs Questionnaire (ISNQ) was developed and revised from previous qualitative and pilot studies. The ISNQ addressed concepts of the importance of, and the degree to which, 29 information and support needs related to breast cancer had been met. The study sample consisted of 261 community-residing women who had mothers, sisters, or a mother and sister(s) with breast cancer. Data were collected using a mailed survey. In addition to the ISNQ, additional items addressed family and health history, breast self-care practices, perception of the impact of the relative's breast cancer and other variables. Also included were established and well-validated measures of anxiety and depression. The findings document women's priority information and support needs. The information need most frequently identified as very important was information about personal risk of breast cancer. Other highly rated needs addressed risk factors for breast cancer and early detection measures. Generally, the women perceived that their information and support needs were not well met. These findings illuminate needs of women for more information and support when they have close family relatives with breast cancer and opportunities for primary care providers to assist women in addressing their needs. [source]


Psychosocial interventions for non-professional carers of people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic scoping review

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2008
Susanne Hempel
Abstract Title.,Psychosocial interventions for non-professional carers of people with Parkinson's disease: a systematic scoping review. Aim., This paper is a report of a scoping review to systematically identify and collate the evidence on psychosocial interventions for non-professional carers of people with Parkinson's disease. Background., Carers are critical to people with Parkinson's disease maintaining independent living and quality of life. Parkinson's disease imposes a challenging constellation of symptoms and no summary of effective interventions for carers and their unique support needs exists. Data sources., Thirty electronic databases were searched from their inception to July 2006, and bibliographies and specific internet sites were scanned. Methods., Eligible studies were categorized according to design, type of economic evaluation where applicable, number of participants, country of evaluation, intervention, orientation, provider, setting, method of delivery, carer population, patient population, carer outcomes, patient outcomes and authors' conclusions. Data were extracted by one reviewer and checked by another reviewer; discrepancies were resolved through discussion or arbitration by a third reviewer. Findings., Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria. Most investigated relatively unique interventions involving multiple elements; the majority were not aimed primarily at carers but were embedded in patient treatment programmes. Many were pilot studies, employing weak research designs and involving very small numbers of participants and most were not designed to assess the clinical or cost effectiveness of the intervention for the carers. Conclusion., Several interventions merit further investigation but there is currently little evidence to show which approaches are effective and cost effective in supporting carers. Future studies need to employ appropriate and rigorous research designs with adequate samples and outcome measures, and with more focus on the carer. [source]


An interactive process model of psychosocial support needs for women living with breast cancer,

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 4 2003
Beth Marlow
Psychosocial support is acknowledged as an important aspect of the care and recovery process for women diagnosed with breast cancer. To develop an understanding of support needs, a series of focus groups were conducted with a total of 80 Australian women living with breast cancer. The psychosocial needs identified in discussion were summarised into four main categories, Organisation of Care, Sense of Control, Validation of Experience and Feeling of Reassurance. From these themes an interactive model of psychosocial support needs was developed. As a process model it demonstrates that the provision of effective support is, necessarily, an integrated, not a piecemeal, process. The categories of support are broad, and are made more inclusive through interactions with each other, providing room to accommodate individual needs and styles of adjustment. The model is not esoteric or complicated , it is an accessible overview of the process for both client and helper. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Special educational needs and disability

BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2006
Sue Keil
Issues relating to the categorisation and labelling of pupils, and, the use of the terms ,special educational needs' and ,disability' in particular, have been the topic of debate in BJSE before. In this article, Sue Keil, a research officer at the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), Olga Miller, of the Institute of Education, University of London, and Rory Cobb, a development officer at the RNIB, summarise some of the key findings from a review carried out on behalf of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC). The authors highlight confusion over the use of terms that represent differing ideological perspectives. Despite the social focus that characterises much of the discourse about disability, disability is frequently regarded as an aspect of special educational needs, an area in which a medical model is often dominant. These confusions benefit neither children with disabilities nor those with less clearly-defined difficulties. Sue Keil, Olga Miller and Rory Cobb note with interest recent developments in Scotland where a new framework based on the concept of ,additional support needs' separates disability from educational need and is intended to represent a more inclusive approach to children's learning. [source]