Characterizing the description of pelvic congestion syndrome pain: A latent class analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic pelvic pain from pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) is a complex condition disproportionately affecting women. PCS pain has been described as dull and achy, but emerging research indicates variances in the historical pain depictions. We aimed to identify the groups of pain characteristics experienced by women living with PCS using a latent class analysis and examine their predictive validity on quality of life, pain intensity, and pain management indicators. METHODS: A secondary data analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected from 160 participants on a Facebook PCS support group was conducted. After evaluating the original 86 unique pain descriptors endorsed on the McGill Pain Questionnaire, descriptors endorsed by more than 30 participants were retained for analysis (n = 34). RESULTS: Results from the latent class analysis identified two latent classes: mild but consistent (44.4%) and intense and debilitating (55.6%). Between the two latent classes, there were clear patterns of pain endorsement to indicate that women in the two groups experience PCS pain differently. Compared to the second latent class (intense and debilitating), women in the first latent class (mild but consistent) experienced milder PCS associated pain and reported a significantly higher quality of life, satisfaction with their health, and less interference with sleep quality and sexual desire. Unfortunately, everyday activities (i.e., exercising, urinating, moving, standing, and working) were more likely to increase pain for women in the second latent class. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis and treatment of pelvic venous disorders are hindered by outdated evidence on the expected pain depictions. A comprehensive pain profile of PCS is needed to establish the effect on women's lifestyles, quality of life, and mental health.

Advancing Patient Navigation for HIV: Evaluating Models of Care for Housing and Employment.

People with HIV face challenges securing housing and employment. Patient navigation is an effective intervention that can improve the receipt of these services, which have been linked to better health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess implementation of patient navigation in diverse delivery settings. We also evaluated the relationship between these services and health outcomes among participants. Twelve sites in the United States (N = 1,082) implemented navigation using single or multiple navigator interventions to improve housing, employment, viral suppression, and retention in care. Sites included health departments, health centers, and AIDS service organizations (ASO). Client-level data were used to model relationships of interest. Across the 12 sites, regardless of model, housing (odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, p < .001), employment (OR = 1.09, p < .001) and retention in care (OR 1.11, p = .007) improved significantly over time; however, viral suppression did not (OR = 1.04, p = .120). Regardless of model of care, patient navigation improved housing, employment, and retention in care. This study demonstrated that while navigation supports people with HIV in securing housing and employment, models using a more intensive format worked best in specific settings. While most studies focus on unimodal strategies, this study builds on the evidence by examining how navigation models can be delivered to reduce barriers to care.

Assessing Beliefs About Intrinsic and Extrinsic Determinants of SLD: Evaluating the Factor Structure of a Novel Instrument.

Schools conduct comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations to identify students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) and determine whether they qualify for special education services. This decision-making process is complex and research has documented many factors influencing SLD identification decisions. One such factor may be decision-makers' beliefs about the underlying causes of SLD, including intrinsic and extrinsic factors. However, no studies to date have examined the underlying factor structure of the responses to prompts about the causes of SLD from intrinsic and extrinsic perspectives. This study was conducted with a sample of 521 school psychologists as part of a larger study examining decision-making during SLD identification. Using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to compare two theoretically plausible models, results suggested that a single latent factor best captured variability in responses to these prompts. Implications for assessing beliefs and how they impact the psychoeducational assessment process to identify SLDs are discussed, along with areas for future research.

Equine-assisted service's effect on cartilage and skeletal biomarkers for adults and older adults with arthritis: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The object of this study was to determine the effect of EAS (Equine-Assisted Services) on arthritis conditions, as measured by the sTnT (Skeletal troponin) and COMP (cartilage oligomeric matrix proteins) biomarkers, compared to an exercise attention control intervention. DESIGN: This was a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial comparing equine-assisted therapy to exercise education attention-control on cartilage and skeletal biomarkers in adults with arthritis. Twenty-one adults (Mage = 64 years) with arthritis who attended rheumatology clinics in the midwestern United States participated. RESULTS: No changes were found in sTnT from baseline to week six within either intervention nor were there differences in changes between the two groups (p = 0.91). COMP increased from baseline to week six for both conditions, suggesting increased deterioration of cartilage and joints. Although the attention-control condition demonstrated larger increases in cartilage oligomeric matrix proteins level, compared to the EAS condition, these differences were not statistically (p = 0.58) or clinically significant (i.e., trivial effect, d = -0.16). When 3 outliers were removed, the differences in changes between EAT and attention-control group could be arguably of clinical significance (d = - 0.33), suggesting that the attention-control group demonstrated larger increases in levels of COMP than those in the EAS condition, though this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: Although equine-assisted therapy may reduce pain and improve quality of life for adults with arthritis, findings here are not fully corroborated with biomarkers.

Relationships Among Pelvic Congestion Syndrome Pain, Daily Activities, and Quality of Life.

OBJECTIVE: To examine women's experiences of pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) pain. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional. SETTING: Online questionnaires in a Facebook PCS support group. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 143 women who self-identified as being diagnosed with PCS. METHODS: We recruited women through a social media support group and invited them to participate in a self-reported questionnaire. We collected demographic information and used the McGill Pain Questionnaire to elicit responses related to pain quality, pain intensity, quality of life, and satisfaction with health care. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Respondents characterized their PCS pain as exhausting, stabbing, sharp, shooting, and tender. Respondents indicated that 19 of 24 daily activities increased PCS pain, whereas only 5 reduced PCS pain. Pain intensity was negatively related to the quality of life, health satisfaction, sleep, and sexual relationships. CONCLUSION: Chronic pelvic pain from PCS severely affected quality of life among respondents. These findings suggest a difference in the presentation of PCS from historical pain depictions and further highlight the need to identify pain profiles to increase timely and precise diagnosis. Further research is needed to evaluate interventions to increase the quality of life for women with PCS.

A Parallel Process Growth Curve Analysis of Teacher-Student Relationships and Academic Achievement.

Teacher-student relationships (TSR) have been a key focus of study for developmental and educational psychology researchers interested in improving proximal and distal academic outcomes for children and youth. Although prior empirical work suggests some degree of association between TSR and achievement, the co-development of TSR and achievement during elementary grades remains unclear with most findings limited to reading and mathematics achievement. The current study used parallel process growth curve models (PPGCMs) to examine the longitudinal growth trajectories of teacher-student closeness and conflict, and science, reading, and mathematics achievement simultaneously for children followed from kindergarten to third grade in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (N = 13,490). Findings from the final PPGCM showed teacher-student closeness in kindergarten was positively associated with science, reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten (r = 0.234 to 0.277) and the linear growth of achievement through third grade (r = 0.068 to 0.156). Teacher-student conflict in kindergarten was negatively associated with science, reading, and mathematics achievement in kindergarten (r = -0.099 to -0.203) and the linear growth of achievement through third grade (r = -0.081 to -0.135). Child biological sex, family socioeconomic status, and child racial and ethnic identity predicted TSR and achievement developmental trends. Implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed.

Physical activity and sedentary behavior in middle-aged intensive care unit survivors discharged home: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to review literature on physical activity and sedentary behavior of middle-aged adults post-discharge from the intensive care unit, with a particular focus on studies using wearable activity trackers. METHODOLOGY: Systematic review conducted using correlational, cohort, and intervention studies of physical activity and sedentary behavior of intensive care unit survivors' post-discharge. Literature in PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL was searched using keywords derived from patient status, activity, and activity monitoring. Two independent reviewers used the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies to assess quality of articles and potential biases in study design. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical activity and sedentary behavior assessed via wearable activity trackers. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-six studies met inclusion criteria; six studies comprising 265 participants were retained. Outcomes varied widely and were not synthesized, but instead discussed individually. Average steps/day ranged from 1278 to 4958 and average minutes of activity ranged from 26 to 45 min/day. One study reported 12 hours and 17 min/day spent in sedentary activity and another reported 90 % of hospitalization was in sedentary behavior compared to 58 % post-discharge. CONCLUSION: Few studies have examined physical activity and sedentary levels of middle-aged intensive care unit survivors wearing activity trackers. Findings are limited in generalizability, and no randomized controlled trials were included here. Eliciting support from clinical and post-discharge care teams to encourage activity and/or attend prescribed therapy or rehabilitation sessions is important. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Clinicians should emphasize the importance of physical activity throughout the day to decrease sedentary time during a hospital stay and to continue being active after discharge to home. Physical activity is valuable, even in short spurts, from hospital stay through discharge. Interventions to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary time are needed to improve intensive care unit survivor recovery and quality of life post-discharge.

A Descriptive, Correlational Study of Perceptions of Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients and Those Waiting for a Kidney Transplant About Managing Their Medications During a Pandemic.

Introduction: Little is known about COVID-19 impact on patient medication management. Research Question: The aim was to describe medication management, healthcare team interactions, and adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic in kidney transplant patients and those on the kidney transplant wait list. Design: Using a descriptive, correlational design 340 adults from a midwestern US transplant program were recruited. The Managing Medications in the Midst of a Pandemic Survey measured healthcare team encounters and medication management. The Basel assessment of adherence to medications scale measured medication adherence. Results: The response rate was 35% (119/340). During the pandemic, 88% had practiced/were currently practicing socially distancing, 85% had worn/were currently wearing a face mask in public, 18% had been/were currently diagnosed with COVID-19 and 82% received the vaccine. Medication management: 76% planned and organized their own medications. Healthcare team interactions: 89% met in the office, 20% via phone, 12% telehealth, and 13% delayed seeing a healthcare provider because of COVID-19 concerns. Pharmacy interactions: 11% changed their method of obtaining medications from pharmacy due to social distancing. Medication adherence implementation was problematic with 19% missing a dose; results from the binary logistic regression suggested that those with higher levels of education were more likely to report missing a dose. Conclusions: Patients acted to prevent COVID-19 but some still contracted the virus. The pandemic changed healthcare team medication management interactions. Adherence implementation problems were nearly 20%. Findings are relevant to the transplant healthcare team to understand the impact of a pandemic on patient/team interactions and medication adherence.

A longitudinal examination of parallel growth and reciprocal changes in teacher-student relationships and academic achievement.

There is a compendium of research to support the premise that positive teacher-student relationships (TSR) set the stage for children's success via classroom engagement, social functioning, and academic skills development. Although studies have demonstrated reciprocal associations between TSR and academic achievement, inferences that stem from prior study results are limited due to methodological designs that fall short in capturing directionality in developmental change processes. To address gaps in the literature and improve our understanding of the complex associations between TSR and academic achievement, we analyzed the codevelopment of TSR and achievement in reading and mathematics using dual change score models (DCSM), a type of latent change score model, focusing on the associations between longitudinal trajectories of TSR-achievement pairs and on the reciprocal prediction of latent changes between each wave of measurement. We examined data from a large-scale, nationally representative study (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort of 2010-2011). Results of our DCSM, contrary to prior findings, demonstrate that variability in the ratings of TSR did not predict subsequent latent changes in reading or mathematics achievement. Likewise, the variability in achievement scores did not predict subsequent latent changes in ratings of TSR. Limitations and future directions for research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in HIV knowledge and interest among nursing and public health students at a large Midwest University: Outcomes of implementing the National HIV Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Ending the HIV epidemic requires additional healthcare and public health workers who are competent in HIV prevention and treatment. The National HIV Curriculum was developed to increase competency in HIV among healthcare workers in the US. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of implementing the National HIV Curriculum (NHC) for nursing and public health students. DESIGN: This study employed a single-arm, cohort intervention design. SETTING: This study was conducted at large, public university in the Midwestern United States of America in a state noted for high HIV transmission. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate nursing, graduate nursing, and undergraduate public health students participated in this study. METHODS: An online survey of nursing and public health students was conducted following implementation of the NHC at a large, public university in the Midwest. Students were assessed on knowledge and interest of HIV using a bootstrapped paired-samples t-test approach. RESULTS: Participants (N = 175) were enrolled in the undergraduate nursing program (n = 72, 41.14 %), graduate nursing (n = 37, 21.14 %) public health (n = 37, 21.14 %), medicine (n = 10, 5.71 %), and biological, biomedical, and health sciences discipline (n = 19, 10.86 %). Overall, results suggest a consistent gain in knowledge of working with individuals living with HIV of 1.42 points (on a 4-point scale). About half (47.43 %) of all students increased interest to work with individuals living with HIV in the future. CONCLUSION: The NHC increased knowledge and interest in students across a broad range of nursing, public health, medicine, and other disciplines. This study suggests that universities can integrate the curriculum across undergraduate and graduate programs. Students at varying degree levels may benefit from the NHC. Future longitudinal studies should be conducted on the career choices of those students exposed to the NHC.