Little is known about the Quality of Life (QoL) and how QoL is related to the social and economic situation of people with mobility-related disabilities in Sweden. QoL and well-being do not only relate to the absence of impairments but also to the level of social inclusion and the economic situation. The objective of this study was to explore if there were differences in QoL between a group with and a group without mobility-related disabilities in Sweden. Cross-sectional data were collected through self-reported questionnaires. WHOQOL-BREF was used to assess QoL. Recruitment was conducted through social media platforms. Comparisons were made between and within groups using the Welch t-test. Generalized linear models were used to predict score change for the WHOQOL-BREF items and domains accounting for sex, age, education, social inclusion, economic situation, and presence of additional or other disability. Included in the analysis was data from 381 participants, 143 with mobility-related disabilities and 238 without. Participants in the mobility-related disability group scored significantly lower than those without on General Health, General QoL, Health Satisfaction, and the four WHOQOL-BREF domains. The group with mobility-related disabilities also reported a lower Social Inclusion Score (SIS) and a higher proportion of people without a cash margin. An increased SIS indicated higher QoL in the generalized linear model, whereas the absence of cash margin and mobility-related disability negatively influenced the QoL scores. This study indicated that a person with mobility-related disabilities has lower QoL than those without mobility-related disabilities. A lower QoL was also related to a lack of cash margin, a lower social inclusion score, and whether there were additional or other disabilities present.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/22/15109/pdf?version=1668613686

Quality of Life of People with Mobility-Related Disabilities in Sweden: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

The lack of quality of life is a key issue for families with children with an intellectual disability. While the quality of life for people with disabilities has previously been researched as an individual variable, this has now shifted to include family members. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of the studies measuring the quality of life of families with an intellectually disabled member, in order to identify the most commonly used scales and their psychometric properties. Method: Data were collected from six databases (ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, MedLine, and Google Scholar), and this search yielded 3948 studies. One hundred and twenty studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Results: Nine scales were used in the last years to measure the quality of life for families with individuals with an intellectual disability. The Beach Center scale was the most common scale, followed by the Family Quality of Life Survey and the World Health Organization’s quality of life assessment (WHOQoL-BREF). The results showed that the included studies in the review lack the consideration of a broader population representing the different types of cultures with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Key aspects used to assess the FQoL are environmental factors (proximal and distal factors), as well as economic factors. Conclusion: Although the operationalization of the FQoL often incudes several subthemes, a general agreement regarding which domains of the FQoL need to be included in the measurements, and these do not exist right now. Moreover, multidimensional scales are still rare.

/pdf/measuring-family-quality-of-life-scoping-review-of-the-1eksbtk2.pdf

Measuring Family Quality of Life: Scoping Review of the Available Scales and Future Directions

The issues for post-hospital disorder patients include facing stigma, having low self-esteem, avoiding social contact, and losing friends. Patients with mental disorders such as schizophrenia have worse quality of life than other patients in general, even compared to patients with physical illnesses. However, rehabilitation for patients with mental disorders could be facilitated through occupational therapy. This research aims to determine the effect of occupational therapy on the quality of life for mental disorders patients. The research population was all patients with mental disorders in Kebasen Community Health Center (Puskesmas) in Central Java, Indonesia. The sample of 50 patients was divided into two groups: 25 in the intervention group and 25 in the control group. The intervention group was given occupational therapy and drug therapy treatment for four weeks, while the control group was only given drug therapy. The effect of occupational therapy on quality of life was tested by paired t-test. Research results showed a significant difference in the quality of life score before and after the occupational therapy treatment for the intervention group (p-value 0.00). In contrast, the control group received no significant difference in the quality of life score before and after (p-value 0.07). Also, there was a notable contrast in the mean difference of quality of life scores between the intervention and control groups (p-value 0.00). Occupational therapy has a significant effect on improving the quality of life for mental disorder patients in the community. It could be used as rehabilitative therapy for treating mental disorder patients to help improve their quality of life.

Occupational Therapy: An Intervention to Improve the Quality of Life for Mental Disorder Patients in Community

Greater attention and focus are being paid to outcome measures used in evaluating treatment gains and long-term outcomes for children and youth with developmental delays/disabilities (DD). However, much of this research does not include racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse participants, nor does it consider the relevance of chosen outcome measures for these distinct cultural groups. As a result, there exists a substantial gap in knowledge on treatment efficacy and application for diverse communities of children and youth with DD. We begin by describing the key issues researchers and professionals must consider in identifying and measuring outcomes for children and youth with DD from diverse backgrounds. These issues include identifying meaningful outcomes, recognizing the language needs, and ensuring the accessibility of the outcome measures. Furthermore, consulting with community stakeholders, especially individuals with DD and their families, is vital. Finally, we present a literature review on the developmental outcomes of diverse populations of children and youth with DD. This review gives insight into how researchers and other professionals can work to ensure outcome measures are culturally responsive and for diverse groups. 

Evaluating outcomes within culturally diverse contexts for children and youth with developmental disabilities

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.

/pdf/family-quality-of-life-and-children-with-disability-in-2912rnp3.pdf

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

Family Quality of Life (FQOL) is an important outcome for families of children with disabilities and is influenced by context and culture. Minimal research explores FQOL in African contexts. This scoping review identifies factors contributing to FQOL for families of children with disabilities in African contexts. We were guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework, searching for research papers from the following electronic databases: CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Global Health, and PsycINFO. Using pre-determined eligibility criteria, two authors independently reviewed articles for inclusion via Covidence, a reference manager that facilitates blind reviewing. Two other authors independently extracted data from studies using a data-charting form based on Zuna and colleagues’ FQOL framework. Reviewers met regularly for discussion to reach consensus. Fifty-three articles met the inclusion criteria, and findings demonstrated a broad variety of factors contributing to FQOL within the FQOL framework related to family unit factors, individual member factors, and external support factors. We found that poverty, stigma, and spirituality were particularly prominent factors affecting FQOL negatively and positively in African contexts. Whilst there are universal factors that contribute to FQOL, recognising the influence of context-specific factors (i.e. poverty, stigma, spirituality) is important in order to provide effective, culturally relevant support that enhances FQOL for families
 of children with disabilities in African contexts.

Ansha Nega

Papers

Family quality of life for families of children with disabilities in African contexts: a scoping review.