Research

10 pages, 257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anxiety and Depression and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Population-Based Study

by Monira Alwhaibi

Healthcare 2023, 11(19), 2637; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11192637 - 27 Sep 2023

Viewed by 885

Abstract

Background: Adults with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are susceptible to mental disorders that might significantly affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how HRQoL in individuals with GERD is related to coexisting anxiety and [...] Read more.

Background: Adults with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are susceptible to mental disorders that might significantly affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how HRQoL in individuals with GERD is related to coexisting anxiety and depression. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 3068 adult patients 22 years of age and older with GERD diagnoses have been identified using the data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2017 to 2020 for United States adults. Data are gathered by MEPS using an overlapping panel design over a period of two and a half years. HRQoL was established using the Physical and Mental Component Summary (PCS & MCS) values from the SF-12. Multivariate forward linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between anxiety, depression, and HRQoL in people with GERD after accounting for various factors. Results: Of the 3068 people with GERD who had been identified, 56.4% were women, 59.4% were in their 50s or 60s and 64.8% were employed. Thirteen per cent of people with GERD had depression, thirteen per cent had anxiety, and ten per cent had both. Adults with concurrent anxiety and depression had the lowest mean PCS and MCS scores compared to those with GERD. After adjusting for all independent factors, GERD patients with anxiety (MCS = −10.819, p-value < 0.0001), depression (MCS = −6.395, p-value < 0.0001), and both (MCS= −42.869, p-value < 0.0001) had substantially worse HRQoL than those without these comorbidities. Notably, better HRQoL scores were positively associated with marital status, employment, perceived overall health, and physical activity. Conclusions: The results from this nationally representative sample shed insight into the relationships between low HRQoL and anxiety and depression among individuals with GERD. It also demonstrated the detrimental impacts of co-occurring chronic illnesses, low socioeconomic status, and the positive benefits of employment and exercise on HRQoL. This study emphasizes the clinical, policy, and public health implications for better healthcare, allocation of resources, and promotion of lifestyle modifications to improve the HRQoL in patients with GERD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

16 pages, 794 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self at Risk: Self-Esteem and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgical Treatment and Experiencing Bodily Deformities

by Ewa Wojtyna, Małgorzata Pasek, Aleksandra Nowakowska, Anna Goździalska and Małgorzata Jochymek

Healthcare 2023, 11(15), 2203; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11152203 - 04 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1210

Abstract

Self-esteem is an important factor determining QoL after surgical procedures leading to bodily deformities associated with cancer treatment. However, there are few data on which components of self-esteem are most closely related to QoL. The article presents two studies that aim to fill [...] Read more.

Self-esteem is an important factor determining QoL after surgical procedures leading to bodily deformities associated with cancer treatment. However, there are few data on which components of self-esteem are most closely related to QoL. The article presents two studies that aim to fill this gap. Study 1 concerns changes in global self-esteem and QoL in patients treated surgically for oral cancer (n = 35); Study 2 concerns changes in explicit and implicit self-esteem and QoL in women with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy (n = 96). The study was longitudinal with two measurements: before and after surgery. Both studies used the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Rosenberg’s SES questionnaires. In Study 2, the Implicit Association Test (IAT) was additionally performed. The patients’ global QoL and self-esteem deteriorated after surgery. In Study 1, patients with higher initial self-esteem showed a greater range of decreased self-esteem and QoL than patients with initially low self-esteem. In Study 2, the largest decreases in various dimensions of QoL and explicit self-esteem were observed in women with fragile self-esteem. A group of women with high explicit and implicit self-esteem showed the best QoL after mastectomy. Cancer patients with high, fragile self-esteem are at risk of the greatest deterioration in QoL and self-image after cancer surgery. These people should be given special psycho-oncological care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

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11 pages, 271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Relationship between Knowing Sign Language and Quality of Life among Italian People Who Are Deaf: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Sabina La Grutta, Marco Andrea Piombo, Vittoria Spicuzza, Martina Riolo, Irene Fanara, Elena Trombini, Federica Andrei and Maria Stella Epifanio

Healthcare 2023, 11(7), 1021; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11071021 - 03 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1380

Abstract

Deafness is a medical condition with important relational implications. This condition could affect well-being and self-esteem and cause social anxiety. Sign language is not only a simple mimic but can be considered as a different kind of communication that could be protective for [...] Read more.

Deafness is a medical condition with important relational implications. This condition could affect well-being and self-esteem and cause social anxiety. Sign language is not only a simple mimic but can be considered as a different kind of communication that could be protective for those who have learned it. However, some people do not use sign language because they think it can be marginalizing. The present study aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) between people who learned Italian sign language as their first language with those who had never learned it or learned it later. This cross-sectional study involved 182 deaf Italian adults (70.3% females) who were recruited from Ente Nazionale Sordi (ENS) and by the main online deafness groups. The present results suggest that the deaf condition does not seem to significantly affect the dimensions of QoL pertaining to satisfaction and self-esteem, while it could have an effect on preventing high levels of social anxiety and in particular, the group who learned Italian sign language showed significantly less social anxiety than those who had never learned it. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

13 pages, 665 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pre- and Post-Operative Education and Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients with Hip/Knee Replacement and Hip Fracture

by Yen-Mou Lu, Je-Ken Chang, Pin-Yu Lin and Yi-Jing Lue

Healthcare 2023, 11(3), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030329 - 22 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1636

Abstract

Arthroplasty for the hip/knee and surgeries for hip fractures are increasing worldwide. The aims of this study were to investigate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after surgery with an early mobility education program, and to explore their associations with pain and [...] Read more.

Arthroplasty for the hip/knee and surgeries for hip fractures are increasing worldwide. The aims of this study were to investigate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after surgery with an early mobility education program, and to explore their associations with pain and anxiety. Pain intensity and anxiety were assessed with the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and HRQOL was assessed with the Short Form-36 (SF-36). The physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) and eight subscales of the SF-36 were calculated. At pre-operation, the patients suffered from moderate pain and mild anxiety, and their HRQOL scores were low (4.9, 7.8, 35.4, and 48.2 for the VAS, BAI, PCS, and MCS, respectively). The pain, anxiety, and HRQOL improved after surgery and had moderate to large effect sizes at 6-month follow-up (Glass’s delta = 1.23, 0.88, 0.81, and 0.67 for VAS, BAI, PCS, and MCS, respectively). Pain and anxiety were strongly correlated to HRQOL at each stage, with the maximum correlation (r = −0.34 to −0.93) reached at 6-month follow-up. The surgery effectively improves HRQOL, as the reduced pain and anxiety lead to better physical and mental HRQOL. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

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13 pages, 846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sexual Satisfaction and Quality of Life in Cardiovascular Patients: The Mediating Role of Anxiety

by Maria Stella Epifanio, Sabina La Grutta, Pietro Alfano, Salvatore Marcantonio, Marco Andrea Piombo, Martina Ammirata, Eduardo Rebulla, Silvia Grassi, Simona Leone, Francesco Clemenza, Rosario Girgenti, Rosa Lo Baido and Maria Di Blasi

Healthcare 2023, 11(3), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030290 - 18 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1797

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular diseases represent one of the most important problems for public health. Research indicates that elderly patients consider sexual satisfaction as a fundamental aspect of their quality of life and a better sexual function is related to higher general wellbeing. Objective: The [...] Read more.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases represent one of the most important problems for public health. Research indicates that elderly patients consider sexual satisfaction as a fundamental aspect of their quality of life and a better sexual function is related to higher general wellbeing. Objective: The main objective of this study was to investigate the mediating role of anxiety and depression in the relationship between quality of life and sexual satisfaction in cardiovascular (CVD) patients. Methods: The sample comprised 128 adult patients, males and females, hospitalized in a Cardiology Rehabilitation clinical center. To collect data, the following were used: a demographic information sheet, the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) to evaluate cardiac function, cardiovascular diagnosis type, the HADS scale to evaluate anxiety and depression states, a test for sexual satisfaction evaluation (SAS) and the SF-36 survey to measure quality of life. Results: The results indicated that only SF-36 physical health is indirectly related to SAS through its relationship with anxiety. Conclusion: A mediating model was proposed to explore the underlying association between sexual satisfaction and quality of life. We recommend investigating perceived general health and sexuality as clinical indicators for therapeutic decisions and risk evaluation for the management of cardiovascular diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

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9 pages, 212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media with and without Cholesteatoma in Patients from Northeastern Romania

by Roxana Serban, Otilia Elena Frasinariu, Bianca Simionescu, Luminita Mihaela Radulescu, Bogdan Mihail Cobzeanu, Cristiana Filip, Ana Maria Laura Buga, Luiza Simona Pohaci Antonesei and Oana Raluca Temneanu

Healthcare 2023, 11(1), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010073 - 27 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1954

Abstract

Quality of life is a widely used concept that tends to become an important part of clinical management. The present study performs an analysis of the impact of suppurative chronic otitis media with and without cholesteatoma on quality of life, using the COMQ-12 [...] Read more.

Quality of life is a widely used concept that tends to become an important part of clinical management. The present study performs an analysis of the impact of suppurative chronic otitis media with and without cholesteatoma on quality of life, using the COMQ-12 questionnaire. It was applied to a group of 40 healthy people and to 40 patients before surgery, and the answers to the questions were analyzed and correlated with socioeconomic factors. After the confirmation of the diagnosis based on clinical and imaging information, the patients completed the COMQ-12 questionnaire. It was observed that the chronic ear problems had negative impacts of varying degrees on daily and long-term activities. The evaluation and analysis of information can be used in setting therapeutic targets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

10 pages, 256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Clinical and Socio-Demographic Factors on the Quality of Life in Romanian People with Epilepsy

by Ionut-Horia Cioriceanu, Dan-Alexandru Constantin, Luigi Geo Marceanu, Costin-Vlad Anastasiu, Andreea Nicoleta Serbanica and Liliana Rogozea

Healthcare 2022, 10(10), 1909; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10101909 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1322

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of different clinical and demographic factors on the quality of life in people with epilepsy hospitalized at a health institution of Brasov County, Romania, using a QOLIE-31-P questionnaire and to reflect on the opportunities and limitations of incorporating [...] Read more.

This study investigates the impact of different clinical and demographic factors on the quality of life in people with epilepsy hospitalized at a health institution of Brasov County, Romania, using a QOLIE-31-P questionnaire and to reflect on the opportunities and limitations of incorporating such an instrument into the clinical practice. Methods: Ninety-one patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy evaluated by video-electroencephalography in the Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry and Neurology in Brasov, Romania, were recruited. After the confirmation of the diagnosis based on clinical, electrophysiological and imagistic examination, and of their compliance with the hospitalization criteria, the patients filled in the QOLIE-31-P questionnaire. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected. Results: The seizure frequency was negatively correlated with almost all QOLIE-31-P domains (p < 0.05). Age, employment status, level of education and uncontrolled disease were significant factors associated with a low quality of life. The mean (SD) QOLIE-31-P scores were 64.89 (14.72), the mean age was 43.04 (14.92) years, with the average age of the first seizure onset 30.66 (17.45) years. Conclusion: The use of measuring instruments to assess the quality of life of patients with epilepsy despite the challenges should become a routine practice, the information collected in this way can improve the outcomes in the care of these patients. In addition to the goal of reducing the frequency of seizures, physicians must also take into account other parts of the experiences of people with epilepsy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

15 pages, 7275 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Atom Search Optimization with Deep Learning Enabled Arabic Sign Language Recognition for Speaking and Hearing Disability Persons

by Radwa Marzouk, Fadwa Alrowais, Fahd N. Al-Wesabi and Anwer Mustafa Hilal

Healthcare 2022, 10(9), 1606; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091606 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1465

Abstract

Sign language has played a crucial role in the lives of impaired people having hearing and speaking disabilities. They can send messages via hand gesture movement. Arabic Sign Language (ASL) recognition is a very difficult task because of its high complexity and the [...] Read more.

Sign language has played a crucial role in the lives of impaired people having hearing and speaking disabilities. They can send messages via hand gesture movement. Arabic Sign Language (ASL) recognition is a very difficult task because of its high complexity and the increasing intraclass similarity. Sign language may be utilized for the communication of sentences, letters, or words using diverse signs of the hands. Such communication helps to bridge the communication gap between people with hearing impairment and other people and also makes it easy for people with hearing impairment to express their opinions. Recently, a large number of studies have been ongoing in developing a system that is capable of classifying signs of dissimilar sign languages into the given class. Therefore, this study designs an atom search optimization with a deep convolutional autoencoder-enabled sign language recognition (ASODCAE-SLR) model for speaking and hearing disabled persons. The presented ASODCAE-SLR technique mainly aims to assist the communication of speaking and hearing disabled persons via the SLR process. To accomplish this, the ASODCAE-SLR technique initially pre-processes the input frames by a weighted average filtering approach. In addition, the ASODCAE-SLR technique employs a capsule network (CapsNet) feature extractor to produce a collection of feature vectors. For the recognition of sign language, the DCAE model is exploited in the study. At the final stage, the ASO algorithm is utilized as a hyperparameter optimizer which in turn increases the efficacy of the DCAE model. The experimental validation of the ASODCAE-SLR model is tested using the Arabic Sign Language dataset. The simulation analysis exhibit the enhanced performance of the ASODCAE-SLR model compared to existing models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Improving Quality of Life in the Medical and Psychological Healthcare Context)

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