The effectiveness of internet-based telerehabilitation among patients after total joint arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this review was to systematically evaluate the available evidence on the effectiveness of internet-based telerehabilitation among patients after total joint arthroplasty regarding pain, range of motion, physical function, health-related quality of life, satisfaction, and psychological well-being. METHODS: This was a systematic review with meta-analysis based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions guidelines. Studies published in English or Chinese were searched using defined search periods, databases, and search terms. Two reviewers assessed independently the quality of studies. RevMan 5.3 was used for meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed using the χ2 and I2 statistic. A random effect model and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was adopted. Standardised mean difference (SMD) was used if the outcome was measured by different scales. RESULTS: Eleven studies with 1020 participants were analysed. Compared to face-to-face rehabilitation, internet-based telerehabilitation showed no significant difference in outcomes of pain (SMD-0.11, 95% CI-0.32 to 0.10), range of motion in flexion (MD 0.65, 95% CI-1.18 to 2.48) and extension (MD-0.38, 95% CI-1.16 to 0.40), patient-reported physical function (SMD 0.01, 95% CI-0.15 to 0.17), health-related quality of life (SMD-0.09, 95% CI-0.26 to 0.07), satisfaction (SMD-0.04, 95% CI-0.21 to 0.14), and psychological well-being (SMD 0.10, 95% CI-0.13 to 0.33). Internet-based telerehabilitation showed better outcomes in physical functional tests (SMD-0.54, 95% CI-1.08 to-0.01). DISCUSSION: This review suggests that internet-based telerehabilitation has comparable effectiveness to face-to-face rehabilitation on rehabilitation outcomes among patients after total joint arthroplasty.

A qualitative exploration of the experiences of school nurses during COVID-19 pandemic as the frontline primary health care professionals.

BACKGROUND: It is widely acknowledged that the experiences of frontline primary health care professionals during COVID-19 are important to understand how they respond and act under situations of pandemic as the gatekeepers in primary health care system. School nurses are primary health care professionals who lead health care in schools and practice in a holistic manner to address the needs of schoolchildren and school personnel. There are rising mental health concerns of frontline health care professionals with anxiety and panic disorders, somatic symptoms, and feeling isolated. No studies use a qualitative study approach to document community frontline school nursing professionals' experiences and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, understanding the school nurses' experiences and challenges to fight against COVID-19 in the communities is important. PURPOSE: This study aims to explore the experiences of school nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. METHODS: A qualitative study design adopted the principles of thematic analysis. Nineteen school nurses were recruited to participate in individual semistructured interviews and shared their roles and responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. FINDINGS: Three themes indicated the school nurses' expand professional responsibilities to fight against COVID-19 emerged from the data analysis. These were "Managing Stress," "Navigating the School Through the Pandemic," and "Raising the Profile of the School Nurse Professional," DISCUSSION: Findings reveal the important role of school nursing professionals in minimizing the community-wide risk posed by pandemics and the need to integrate them into planning and implementation of school health policies and guidelines in the primary health care system. This essential role in schools is necessary to assess, implement, monitor, prevent, and reduce the spread of virus in school communities and to minimize the burden to and extra health care resources utilized in the acute care setting during COVID-19 pandemic.

Testing psychometric properties of a new instrument 'Promoting Active Ageing in Older People with Mental Disorders Scale' from a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is no instrument that measures the promotion of active ageing or the factors that influence the promotion of active ageing in older people with mental disorders living in the community. This study aimed to examine psychometric properties of a new survey instrument. METHODS: A mixed methods exploratory sequential design was used incorporating a cross-sectional survey. The Promoting Active Ageing in Older People with Mental Disorders Scale (PAA-MD) was sent to 579 primary care providers in Yasothon province, Thailand. Construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis. The internal reliability was examined using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: The PAA-MD consisted of three sections. Section II found Bartlett's test of sphericity was χ2 (1431) = 26221.167, P < 0.001. Items used theoretical justification to group items into five factors, namely: participation, education, health, leisure, and security. Section III indicated Bartlett's test was χ2 (666) = 23524.074, P < 0.001. Items were grouped into five components, namely: facilitators, barriers, knowledge, skills, resources and support. Internal reliability of sections II and III with Cronbach's alpha was greater than 0.7. The corrected item-total correlation coefficient of all items was greater than 0.30. CONCLUSION: The PAA-MD contains 104 items from three sections. Construct validity was adequate to capture phenomena. Internal reliability revealed good homogeneity.

A Randomized Controlled Trial on Mutual Support Group Intervention for Families of People With Recent-Onset Psychosis: A Four-Year Follow-Up.

Introduction: Recent research in Western countries has indicated that family interventions in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders can reduce patient relapse and improve medication compliance. Few studies have addressed Chinese and Asian populations. This study tested the long-term effects of a 9-month family-led mutual support group for Chinese people with schizophrenia in Hong Kong, compared with psycho-education and standard psychiatric care. Methods: A randomized controlled trial of Chinese families of patients with recent-onset psychosis (≤5 years of illness) was conducted between August 2012 and January 2017, with a 4-year follow-up. Two hundred and one Chinese families of adult outpatients with recent-onset psychosis were randomly selected from the computerized patient lists and randomly assigned to either mutual support, psycho-education, or standard care group (n = 70 per group). Family caregivers were mainly the parent, spouse, or child of the patients. Mutual support and psycho-education group consisted of 16 two-hour group sessions and patients participated in three sessions. The standard care group and the two treatment groups received the routine psychiatric outpatient care. Results: Patients and families in the mutual support group reported consistently greater improvements in overall functioning [family functioning, F (2, 203) = 8.13, p = 0.003; patient functioning, F (2, 203) = 6.01, p = 0.008] and reductions in duration of hospitalizations [F (2, 203) = 6.51, p = 0.005] over the 4-year follow-up. There were not any significant increases of medication dosages or service use by both the family support and psycho-education groups over time. Conclusions: The peer-led family support group can be an effective psychosocial intervention in early psychosis indicating long-term benefits on both patient and family functioning and re-hospitalizations. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT00940394: https://register.clinicaltrials.gov.

Interprofessional collaboration between junior doctors and nurses in the general ward setting: A qualitative exploratory study.

AIM: To explore the collaboration experiences of junior physicians and nurses in the general ward setting. BACKGROUND: Junior physicians and nurses do not always work collaboratively and this could affect the quality of patient care. The understanding of the issues affecting junior physicians and nurses working together is needed to inform strategies to improve interprofessional collaboration. METHODS: Nineteen junior physicians and nurses were interviewed in 2012 and 2013. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Junior physicians and nurses acknowledged the importance of working collaboratively to achieve better patient care, but they are struggling to cope due to heavy clinical workload, organisational constraints and differing power relationships. Nurses have to take on more responsibilities in the decision-making process of patients' care to foster effective interprofessional collaboration. CONCLUSION: The study calls for educational and organisational strategies to improve interprofessional collaboration between junior physicians and nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse leaders should ensure that ward nurses are given a designated time to participate in ward rounds with physicians and have access to a communication tool that assists them in contributing proactively in the decision-making process of patient care.

The Challenges, Emotions, Coping, and Gains of Family Caregivers Caring for Patients With Advanced Cancer in Singapore: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Caring for a family member with advanced cancer at home is demanding as the ill family member is likely to have complex physical and emotional needs. There is a paucity of studies on the experience of home family caregivers of people with advanced cancer in the Asian region. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of family caregivers caring for a person with advanced cancer at home in Singapore. METHODS: This was a qualitative study; data were collected by semistructured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. A purposive sample of 19 family caregivers who were taking care of a family member with advanced cancer were recruited from home hospice care services in Singapore. RESULTS: Most of the caregivers were female (n = 14), ranging in age from 21 to 64 years (mean, 46.4 [SD, 10.5] years). Four themes were generated from the data: (1) caregiving challenges, (2) negative emotions, (3) ways of coping, and (4) positive gains of caregiving. CONCLUSIONS: This study generated insights into the challenges, emotions, and coping of Asian family caregivers caring for patients with advanced cancer. Such understanding could help in developing appropriate intervention for caregivers to reduce their burden and stress. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Caregivers require knowledge on resolving family conflicts and about communicating and enhancing closeness with the ill family member. Support from healthcare professionals is essential even if caregivers have support from family members and friends; nurses can make conscious efforts to show concern for caregivers as well as for patients.

Evaluation of a video, telephone follow-ups, and an online forum as components of a psychoeducational intervention for caregivers of persons with advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate caregivers' perceptions of a video, telephone follow-up, and online forum as components of a psychoeducational intervention. METHOD: Qualitative semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 12 participants two weeks post-intervention. The study was conducted from September of 2012 to May of 2015. Family caregivers were recruited from four home hospice organizations (HCA Hospice Care, Metta Hospice, Singapore Cancer Centre, and Agape Methodist Hospice) and the National Cancer Centre outpatient clinic in Singapore. A purposive sample was employed, and participants were recruited until data saturation. Qualitative interviews were transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using content analysis. Two of the research team members were involved in the data analysis. RESULTS: Two-thirds of participants were females (n = 8). Their ages ranged from 22 to 67 (mean = 50.50, SD = 11.53). About two-thirds were married (n = 7). Most participants were caring for a parent (n = 10), one for a spouse, and one for her mother-in-law. Caregivers favored the use of video for delivery of educational information. They liked the visual and audio aspects of the video. The ability to identify with the caregiver and scenarios in the video helped in the learning process. They appreciated telephone follow-ups from healthcare professionals for informational and emotional support. The online forum as a platform for sharing of information and provision of support was not received well by the caregivers in this study. The reasons for this included their being busy, not being computer savvy, rarely surfing the internet, and not feeling comfortable sharing with strangers on an online platform. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: This study provided insight into caregivers' perceptions of various components of a psychoeducational intervention. It also gave us a better understanding of how future psychoeducational interventions and support for caregivers of persons with advanced cancer could be provided.

Predictors of change in quality of life of family caregivers of patients near the end of life with advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND: Caregiving for a person with cancer at end of life can be stressful physically and emotionally. Understanding the predictors of change in family caregivers' quality of life (QoL) is important in facilitating the development of interventions to help these family caregivers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the change in QoL of family caregivers of home hospice patients in Singapore near the end of life with advanced cancer from baseline to after 2 months. METHODS: This was a longitudinal survey. Ninety-three caregivers were surveyed. Instruments included the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer, Social Support Questionnaire, and Spiritual Perspective Scale. RESULTS: Caregivers' spiritual-related interactions scores increased from baseline to 2 months using paired t test (t = 2.33, P = .02). Multivariate regression analysis showed that caregivers with higher social support satisfaction (ß = .60, P = .000) and who had a religion predicted (ß = .55, P = .001) higher QoL. Caregivers of patients diagnosed with breast cancer and cancer in the female reproductive organs (ß = -.33, P = .03) predicted lower QoL. CONCLUSION: This study elucidated the importance of caregivers' social support satisfaction during their caregiving journey. There is a need to enhance spiritual care for caregivers. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Support for caregivers could be increased by organizing mutual support groups and having volunteers to befriend caregivers. Spiritual care could be enhanced by regular assessment of spiritual needs, offering open discussions and sharing on spirituality and religion, and facilitating contacts with religious groups if caregivers required.

The effectiveness of mutual support group intervention for Chinese families of people with schizophrenia: a randomised controlled trial with 24-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Positive effects on the relapse from illness and compliance with medication by patients have been observed from family intervention for schizophrenia. However, little attention has been paid to the effects on family members, particularly those in non-Western countries. Inconsistent and inconclusive findings were found on the family-related outcomes and longer-term effects of family intervention. OBJECTIVE: This study tested the effects of a nine-month family-led mutual support group for Chinese people with schizophrenia, compared with a psycho-education group and standard psychiatric care over a 24-month follow-up. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial [registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00940394)] with repeated-measures, three-group design. SETTINGS: Two regional psychiatric outpatient clinics in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and thirty-five Chinese family caregivers and their patients with schizophrenia were randomly recruited, of whom 45 family dyads received family-led mutual support group, a psycho-education group, or standard care. METHODS: After completing the pre-test questionnaire, the participants were randomly assigned into one of the three study groups. The mutual support and psycho-education groups comprised 14 two-hour group sessions, with patients participating in at least 5 sessions. Those in standard care (and two treatment groups) received routine psychiatric care. Multiple patient and family-related psychosocial outcomes were compared at recruitment and at one week, 12 months, and 24 months following interventions. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-six of 135 family dyads completed the three post-tests and 43 (95.6%) attended at least nine group sessions (60%) of the mutual support group programme. Mean ages of the family caregivers in the study ranged from 41.2 (SD=7.0) to 42.7 (SD=7.6) years. About two-thirds of the caregivers were male and patients' parent or spouse. The results of multivariate analysis of variance followed by Helmert contrasts tests indicated that the participants in the mutual support group indicated significantly greater improvement in family and patient functioning [F(2, 132)=5.40, p=0.005 and F(2, 132)=6.88, p=0.001, respectively] and social support for families [F(2, 131)=5.01, p=0.005], and in reducing patients' symptom severity [F(2, 132)=4.65, p=0.01] and length of re-hospitalisations [F(2, 132)=4.78, p=0.01] at 12- and 24-month follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: Family-led mutual support group for schizophrenia produces longer-term benefits to both the patients' and families' functioning and relapse prevention for patients, compared with psycho-education and standard care. This group programme can be an effective family intervention for Chinese people with schizophrenia.

Citation analysis of mental health nursing journals: how should we rank thee?

The journal impact factor (JIF), and how best to rate the performance of a journal and the articles they contain, are areas of great debate. The aim of this paper was to assess various ranking methods of journal quality for mental health nursing journals, and to list the top 10 articles that have received the most number of citations to date. Seven mental health nursing journals were chosen for the analysis of citations they received in 2010, as well as their current impact factors from two sources, and other data for ranking purposes. There was very little difference in the top four mental health nursing journals and their overall rankings when combining various bibliometric indicators. That said, the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing is currently the highest ranked mental health nursing journal based on JIF, but publishes fewer articles per year compared to other journals. Overall, very few articles received 50 or more citations. This study shows that researchers need to consider more than one ranking method when deciding where to send or publish their research.

Chinese primiparous women's experiences of early motherhood: factors affecting maternal role competence.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore Chinese women's perceptions of maternal role competence and factors contributing to maternal role competence during early motherhood. BACKGROUND: Developing a sense of competence and satisfaction in the maternal role are considered critical components in maternal adaptation, which have a significant impact on parenting behaviours and the psychosocial development of the child. However, qualitative studies that address maternal role competence are limited in the Chinese population. DESIGN: This was an exploratory descriptive study. METHOD: A purposive sample of 26 Chinese primiparous mothers participated in a childbirth psychoeducation programme and was interviewed at six weeks postpartum. Data were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: Women perceived a competent mother as being able to make a commitment to caring for the physical and emotional well-being of child, while cultivating appropriate values for childhood. Personal knowledge and experience of infant care, success in breastfeeding, infant's well-being, availability of social support and contradictory information from various sources were major factors affecting maternal role competency. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the importance of understanding Chinese cultural attitudes to childrearing and maternal role competence. New Chinese mothers need information on child care, positive experiences of infant care, social support and consistent information to enhance their maternal role competency. Recommendations are made for Chinese culturally specific guidelines and healthcare delivery interventions to enhance maternal role competence in early motherhood. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nursing and midwifery care should always take into account the cultural beliefs and enable adaptation of traditional postpartum practices. Providing consistent information and positive experience on parenting skills and infant behaviour as well as enhancing effective coping strategies could strengthen Chinese women's maternal role competency.

Level of psychological distress and social support among patients with limb fractures in Hong Kong.

AIMS: To explore the relationship between psychological distress and social support and examine its association with various socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is a common experience in patients after limb fractures. In this regard, a lower level of psychological distress is associated with better social support among patients with various types of diseases. However, there is a paucity of studies examining the relationship between social support and psychological distress among patients with limb fractures. More so, no such study has been conducted in the Chinese population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional and correlational design. METHOD: A convenience sample of participants with upper limb fractures (n = 43) or lower limb fractures (n = 43) was recruited from two orthopaedic wards of a regional acute public hospital in Hong Kong. Data were obtained through face-to-face interview. The Impact of Event Scale was used to measure the level of psychological distress, while the Social Support Questionnaire Short-Form (SSQ6) was used to measure social support. RESULTS: Approximately two-thirds of the participants (n = 54) suffered from medium to high level of psychological distress. Majority of them were fairly satisfied with their social support, with their children being the most common support persons. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the level of distress between the participants with lower or upper limb fractures. No significant correlation was found between psychological distress and social support. Those who were women, had lower education level and lower monthly income were significantly associated with a higher level of psychological distress. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Patients with fractured limb suffered from a high level of psychological distress. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of psychological distress should be incorporated as routine assessment. Also, assessing the socio-demographic characteristics of patients should enable nurses to identify patients at risk of developing a high level of psychological distress.

Self-reported adherence to a therapeutic regimen among patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine self-reported adherence to a therapeutic regimen for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. BACKGROUND: Studies of patients' adherence during dialysis have primarily focused on haemodialysis and have frequently yielded inconsistent results, which are attributed to the inconsistent tools used to measure adherence. Levels of adherence to all four components of the therapeutic regimen (i.e. dietary and fluid restrictions, medication, and the dialysis regimen) among patients receiving peritoneal dialysis have not been examined, especially from a patient perspective. METHODS: A total population sample was used. A cross-sectional survey was carried out by face-to-face interviews in 2005 in one renal clinic in Hong Kong. A total of 173 patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (56% of the total population) participated in the study. RESULTS: Patients perceived themselves as more adherent to medication (83%; 95% confidence interval 77-88%) and dialysis (93%; 95% confidence interval 88-96%) prescriptions than to fluid (64%; 95% confidence interval 56-71%) and dietary (38%; 95% confidence interval 30-45%) restrictions. Those who were male, younger or had received dialysis for 1-3 years saw themselves as more non-adherent compared with other patients. CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals should take cultural issues into consideration when setting dietary and fluid restriction guidelines. Additional attention and support are required for patients who identify themselves as more non-adherent. To help patients live with end-stage renal disease and its treatment, qualitative research is required to understand how they go through the dynamic process of adherence.

Further validation of the Chinese version of the Level of Expressed Emotion Scale for research and clinical use.

BACKGROUND: Expressed emotion is a construct that has been used for the past three decades to describe family members' criticism, hostility and emotional involvement with a mentally ill relative within the context of family interactions and caregiving. In Western countries this construct is used as an outcome measure of interventions for families of people with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, but the use of this construct in Chinese populations is somewhat limited. OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability and validity of a refined Chinese version of the 52-item Level of Expressed Emotion Scale (LEE). METHODS: A convenience sample of 405 outpatients with psychotic disorders in Hong Kong and one of their family caregivers were recruited. Patients were asked to complete a set of questionnaires twice over a 6-month period, including the Chinese version of the LEE, the Specific Level of Functioning scale and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; while their caregivers completed the Family Assessment Device twice and a demographic data sheet at recruitment. This study was aimed at establishing the internal consistency, reproducibility, responsiveness, and construct validity of the LEE. RESULTS: Results indicated that the refined 50-item Chinese version of the LEE and its subscales demonstrated a high internal consistency and satisfactory correlations with patient and family functioning scores. Principal component analysis revealed the presence of four factors, explaining 70.8% of total variance and indicating high factor loadings as well as item-factor inter-correlations. The Chinese version not only indicated a satisfactory reproducibility in assessing change in patients' symptom severity and family functioning but also showed an adequate responsiveness to the changes in patients' symptoms over 6 months, especially for detecting symptom improvement. DISCUSSION: The findings of the psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the LEE established its potential as a research instrument in measuring the level of expressed emotion of family members as perceived by Chinese patients with psychotic disorders. Further testing of its psychometric properties is recommended, using larger samples from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and mental illnesses.

Testing the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Level of Expressed Emotion scale.

Expressed emotion of families of people with schizophrenia is useful and important to evaluate the effects of family interventions. This study tested the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the Level of Expressed Emotion scale. This psychometric analysis included tests of content validity and reliability, and an exploratory factor analysis. Results indicated that the Chinese version had a high level of equivalence with the original English version and demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The refined 52-item Chinese version consisted of four factors, indicating satisfactory correlation with two theoretically relevant scales. The Chinese version appears psychometrically sound as a measure of schizophrenic patients' perceptions of their family members' expressed emotion.

The perceived burden among Chinese family caregivers of people with schizophrenia.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine the level of perceived burden of the Chinese families caring for a relative with schizophrenia and to test its associations with their demographic characteristics, social and family factors and health condition. BACKGROUND: Despite the increased demands on family members to provide care for patients with schizophrenia in community care, little is known about the level of family burden among these family caregivers and its relationship with their demographic, social and cultural backgrounds. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 203 family caregivers were recruited from three regional psychiatric outpatient clinics in Hong Kong. They were asked to complete a set of well-validated questionnaires, consisting of the Chinese version of four instruments - Family Burden Interview Schedule, Family Assessment Device, Six-item Social Support Questionnaire and MOS 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and a socio-demographic data sheet. Statistical analyses were conducted to test the differences in mean burden scores between subgroups, the inter-relationships among the mean scores of the scales and socio-demographic variables and the predictors of family burden. RESULTS: The families who perceived a higher level of caregiver burden were those who lived in a family with poorer functioning, worse health status and less satisfaction of social support. The caregivers' burden score was positively correlated with their age; conversely, it was negatively correlated with their monthly household income and number of family members living with patient. Social support was the best predictor of caregiver burden. CONCLUSION: These findings increase our understanding about the socio-demographic and cultural variables influencing the well being of family caregivers of a relative with schizophrenia. Helping families to maintain and enhance a supportive social network may represent a useful means to reduce family burden in schizophrenia. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This understanding helps health professionals and researchers to identify different sources and domains of burden from a Chinese cultural perspective and take into account of these factors when planning interventions for family caregivers.

Stress and coping of Hong Kong Chinese family members during a critical illness.

AIM: The present study aimed to investigate the stress and coping strategies of Hong Kong Chinese families during a critical illness and to examine the relationships between stress and coping. BACKGROUND: Admissions to intensive care unit are usually an unanticipated event, which imposes stress on the family. Family's wellness is one of the significant factors affecting patient's well-beings. Much work has been conducted in Western societies. Stress and coping in Chinese families of critically ill patients have rarely been discussed. METHOD: Structured face-to-face interviews were conducted, using the Impact of Events Scale and the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales. A convenience sample of 133 participants was recruited from a regional hospital in Hong Kong. Many were patients' children with age between 30 and 49. A total of 39.1% (n = 52) of the participants were males and 60.9% (n = 81) were females. RESULTS: The participants experienced high level of stress (mean = 25.1, SD = 8.3). Higher level of stress were experienced by female (t = -4.6; d.f. = 1, 131; P = 0.00), those with lower educational attainment (F = 3.0; d.f. = 2, 130; P = 0.05) and those whose relatives were admitted to the intensive care unit unexpectedly (t = -2.2; d.f. = 1; P = 0.03). Patients' length of stay in the unit was significantly correlated with levels of stress (r = 0.5, P < 0.00). Level of stress had significant correlation with coping strategies utilization (r = 0.5, P < 0.00). Reframing strategies were frequently used whereas the passive appraisal strategies were least used. Family members used positive-coping strategies, which concurred with the Chinese stress-coping pattern 'fatalistic voluntarism'. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study contributes to the understanding of Hong Kong Chinese families' stress and coping during a critical illness. Comprehensive assessments of family members' psychosocial needs are important to plan appropriate interventions to alleviate their stress and strengthen their coping skills. The findings will serve as guidance for nurses in delivering culturally sensitive and competent interventions.

Effects of a mutual support group for families of Chinese people with schizophrenia: 18-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Family intervention in schizophrenia can reduce patient relapse and improve medication adherence, but few studies on this have involved a Chinese population. AIMS: To examine the effects of a mutual support group for Chinese families of people with schizophrenia, compared with psychoeducation and standard care. METHOD: Randomised controlled trial in Hong Kong with 96 families of out-patients with schizophrenia, of whom 32 received mutual support, 33 psychoeducation and 31 standard care. The psychoeducation group included patients in all the sessions, the mutual support group did not. Intervention was provided over 6 months, and patient- and family-related psychosocial outcomes were compared over an 18-month follow-up. RESULTS: Mutual support consistently produced greater improvement in patient and family functioning and caregiver burden over the intervention and follow-up periods, compared with the other two conditions. The number of readmissions did not decrease significantly, but their duration did. CONCLUSIONS: Mutual support for families of Chinese people with schizophrenia can substantially benefit family and patient functioning and caregiver burden.

The qualitative experience of Chinese parents with children diagnosed of cancer.

AIM: The present study aimed to describe the coping experiences of Chinese parents with children diagnosed as having cancer during the treatment stage. BACKGROUND: Cancer is the second major cause of death among children in Hong Kong, it claims the lives of 60-70 children per year. Childhood cancer has tremendous impact on the family, especially the parents. It is, therefore, important to understand parents' psychological functioning and coping experience. METHODS: A phenomenological approach was used. Data were collected by qualitative interviews and analysed following Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology. A purposive sample of nine parents whose children were diagnosed of having childhood cancer was recruited from a regional hospital in Hong Kong. RESULTS: Four themes emerged describing parents' coping experiences: shock and denial, establishing the meaning or the situation, confronting the reality and establishing a new perspective. The initial reactions of the parents to the diagnosis were shock, denial and worry. However, they quickly accepted the reality and regarded their child's illness as their 'fate' that they had to accept. They were committed to the care of the sick child and seek informational and emotional support to cope with the situation. All of them were able to identify positive aspects from the illness experience and establish hope for the future. Chinese cultural beliefs might help the parents cope positively and avoid negative emotions. CONCLUSION: This study found some commonalities of coping experience in both Western and Chinese culture. It adds knowledge to the coping experience of Chinese parents at the treatment phase of their children's illness and highlighted the need for emotional and information support for parents. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Education programme and mutual support group would be helpful to parents. Nurses have to learn how different cultural groups and subcultural groups in the society cope to provide competent cultural care.