ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cancer is one of the major causes of death in children and adolescents. About 4% of deaths in children of age less than 5 years and 13% of deaths in children of age 5-15 years are due to cancer in Iranian population. The disease can cause many problems, which are usually detected by a psychologist, for the children and their mothers. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the psychological challenges of the children with cancer and their mothers' experience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a qualitative research conducted through thematic analysis approach. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Purposive sampling was conducted. The numbers of the children and their mothers participating in this study were 34 and 32, respectively. RESULTS: Data analysis showed that the problems faced by children with cancer and their mothers fell into five main categories. These categories included spiritual, psychological (such as aggression, anxiety, depression), communicational problems, inadequate knowledge (about the disease, its treatment, and treatment complications), and care-related problems. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that lack of awareness and spiritual problems were the most important problems of the patients and their mothers. If necessary knowledge about the disease and its treatment and complications is given to the children and their mothers at the time of diagnosis, and also, spiritual care interventions are administered during treatment, their psychological problems can be notably reduced.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although evidences emphasize on the importance of aftercare programs to achieve continuity of care, different studies have revealed controversial results about the outcome. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of aftercare program on outcome measures of patients with severe mental disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of a total 123 eligible patients with severe mental disorders, 61 patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 62 patients to the control group. The interventions included follow-up phone calls, home visits, and psychoeducation for families. Assessments were performed on hospital admission, discharge and the following 3(rd), 6(th) and 12(th) month. Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHO-QOL) were used. Data were analyzed through Chi square, t-test, Mann-Whitney-U, and Repeated Measures Analysis of Co-Variance. RESULTS: Mean of the HDRS scores revealed significant difference between the two groups when HDRS scores on the admission day were controlled (P = 0.028). The level of functioning was significantly different between the two groups based on the sequential assessments of GAF (P = 0.040). One year after the onset of trial, the number of psychiatric readmissions were significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Readmission rates could be reduced by aftercare services, through the first year, after discharge of patients with severe mental disorders. On the other hand, higher levels of functioning would be expected after one year.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This pilot trial was conducted to establish whether Boswellia Serrata (BS), a traditional herbal medicine, could improve the outcome of patients who have diffuse axonal injury (DAI). METHODS: In total, 38 patients with pure DAI were enrolled in this 12-week, double-blind, randomized, cross-over study. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either placebo (group A, n = 20) or BS capsules (group B, n = 18) for 6 weeks and then switched to the other intervention for another 6 weeks. The disability rating scale (DRS) was used to assess the outcome at 2-, 6- and 12-weeks post-trauma. RESULTS: A non-significant trend for improvement of DRS total scores was observed after the use of BS. Regarding the DRS sub-scores, however, there was significant improvement in 'cognitive ability to self-care' during the second 6 weeks in group A on BS compared to an insignificant spontaneous recovery in group B during the same period on placebo. Moreover, both groups experienced a close-to-significant increase in the cognitive function-related items of the DRS during the periods they were on BS. The reported adverse events were all of mild quality and had similar frequency between the groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that BS resin does not significantly affect general outcome, but may enhance the cognitive outcome of patients with DAI.
