ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Pediatric palliative care is a rapidly developing multidisciplinary approach that supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families. However, there is limited evidence on how to effectively support bereaved parents and siblings. The purpose of this study is to explore the therapeutic impact of art therapy for bereaved families, in accordance with John Bowlby’s four-stage theory of mourning. @*Methods@#This single-case study employed the consensual qualitative research method. Art therapy records of bereaved families were reviewed individually, and records from one case were selected. Verbal statements made during the art therapy sessions and photocopies of the artworks were analyzed to understand the mourning process of the family. @*Results@#A total of 113 statements and 12 artworks from 19 art therapy sessions were analyzed. As the art therapy progressed, each family member exhibited a pattern of engaging in more positive and healthy conversations in daily life, demonstrating the final stage of mourning: reorganization and recovery. The family dynamics also revealed that they reconstructed their inner world and redefined the meaning of loss, which is the final stage of mourning. The art therapy provided a safe environment for the family, allowing them to fulfill their wishes and regain the strength needed for recovery. @*Conclusion@#This study suggests that art therapy supports bereaved families in alleviating their psychological difficulties, engaging in a healthy mourning process, and functioning as members of society. Further research is needed to better understand the effect of art therapy as a bereavement support tool in pediatric palliative care.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hyperuricemia has increased over the past few decades. Hyperuricemia is responsible for the increased risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic renal disease, and cardiovascular disease. Health-related quality of life (HQoL) has been increasingly used as an outcome in clinical trials, effectiveness research, and research on quality of care. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the association between hyperuricemia and HQoL in Korean adults aged >19 years.METHODS: We included 2,376 male and 2,593 female who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2016 to 2017. Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum uric acid (SUA) level of 7 mg/dL. The Euro quality of life-5 dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire was used to measure HQoL. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between hyperuricemia and HQoL.RESULTS: The EQ-5D index score of the hyperuricemia group was significantly lower than of the healthy group. After adjusting for multiple covariates, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval, [CI]) for mobility issues was 1.46 (95% CI, 1.211–1.683) in male and 1.33 (95% CI, 0.716–2.464) in female; however, the difference was not statistically significant for female.CONCLUSION: Hyperuricemia was associated with reduced quality of life. It is important to control SUA levels to improve HQoL.