Gema Costa-Requena

Caregivers’ morbidity in palliative care unit: predicting by gender, age, burden and self-esteem

PurposeThis study assesses psychological distress suffered by caregivers of patients with a disease at an advanced and terminal state admitted at a palliative care unit. Specifically, these areas were examined in how distress was perceived: the contribution of caregiving burden, caregivers’ self-esteem, caregivers’ age and gender.MethodsThe sample constituted of 159 caregivers. Measurements included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to assess distress, the shortened version of the Zarit Burden Inventory and Rosenberg self-esteem scale.ResultsApproximately 77% of the caregivers reported probable significant distress (HADS ≥12), with a similar proportion with anxiety (76.1%) and depression (77.4%) within the caregivers’ symptomatology. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the caregivers’ self-esteem (p < 0.01) and caregivers’ burden (p < 0.01) were stronger predictors of caregivers’ distress than the socio-demographic characteristics, age or gender (p < 0.05).ConclusionsA high prevalence of morbidity was noticed in caregivers of patients admitted at the palliative care unit. The early provision of psychological support to caregivers by healthcare staff may indeed help to decrease comorbidity symptoms.

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in cancer: psychometric analysis of the Spanish Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version.

Objective: The PTSD Checklist‐Civilian version (PCL‐C) was used as a screening tool to assess the presence of PTSD symptoms. The aim of this study was to explore the factorial structure of the Spanish version of the PCL‐C and calculate the correlation of PTSD symptoms with distress and health‐related quality of life.

The mental adjustment to cancer scale: a psychometric analysis in Spanish cancer patients

Objective: The Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale was used to assess the cognitive responses to a cancer diagnosis. The aim of this study was to replicate the factorial structure of the Spanish version of the scale and ascertain the correlations between dimensions of the MAC and socio‐demographic characteristics or medical variables.

Caregiver burden in end-of-life care: Advanced cancer and final stage of dementia

OBJECTIVE Considering two advanced illnesses, cancer and end-stage dementia, the aim of this study was to describe the symptoms of caregiver psychological distress and burden. METHOD In this cross-sectional study, regression analyses were calculated to explain the influence of psychological distress in caregiver burden. A t test was employed to compare differences between the symptoms of caregiver burden. RESULTS The percentage of psychological distress was similar between caregivers of cancer patients (77.6%) and caregivers of dementia patients (72.4%). In the regression analysis, cancer caregiver distress accounted for 27.9% of the variance in symptoms of burden, while dementia caregiver distress accounted for 24.4% of the variance in symptoms of burden. No significant differences were revealed when comparing caregiver burden symptoms between caregivers of the two advanced illnesses (t = 0.06; p = 0.94). SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS In end-of-life care for patients with dementia, due to significant levels of caregiver distress and burden symptoms, there is a need to support caregivers in the same way as is done for caregivers of cancer patients.

Quality of life in the chemotherapy treatment of Spanish cancer patients: a comparison of general population norms.

Objective: The SF‐36 Health Survey (SF‐36) is a general instrument used to assess health‐related quality of life (HRQL). The purpose of this study is to describe self‐reported information on health and the quality of life among cancer outpatients during chemotherapy treatment and to compare it with the baseline sample drawn from the general Spanish population.

Alfabetización en salud y enfermedad renal crónica

Alrededor de 1970 en Canadá se empezaron a gestar las políticas de promoción de la salud cuando el Ministerio de Salud y Bienestar, liderado por Marc Lalonde, señaló la incapacidad del sistema sanitario público para garantizar, por sí solo, la salud de la población, considerando el elevado presupuesto dedicado a ello y el escaso resultado obtenido en el cambio de estilos de vida. Posteriormente, estas conclusiones fueron recogidas en la 1. Conferencia Mundial sobre Promoción de la Salud (1986)1, donde se elaboró la Carta de Ottawa que incidía en el desarrollo del concepto de promoción de la salud, que «consiste en proporcionar a la población los medios necesarios para mejorar su salud y ejercer un mayor control sobre ella, considerando que para alcanzar un estado adecuado de bienestar físico, mental y social un individuo o grupo debe ser capaz de identificar y realizar sus aspiraciones, de satisfacer sus necesidades y de cambiar o adaptarse al medio ambiente»1. En conferencias posteriores celebradas en Adelaida (1988), Sundsvall (1991), Jakarta (1997), Ciudad de México (2000), Bangkok (2005) y Nairobi (2009), se siguió haciendo hincapié en la necesidad de desarrollar políticas públicas que reforzaran la acción comunitaria y estrategias orientadas a capacitar a las personas para que aumenten el control sobre su salud y, con equidad sanitaria, a proporcionar los medios que permitan a toda la población desarrollar al máximo su potencial de salud. Finalmente, en la 8. Conferencia Mundial de Promoción de la Salud celebrada en Helsinki (2013)2, se caracterizó la promoción de la salud como un derecho fundamental de todo ser humano, así como un factor determinante de la calidad

Health-related behaviours after 1 year of renal transplantation.

Health-related behaviours and psychological distress were examined after kidney transplantation. Patients were evaluated at 1 month, 6 months and 1 year after transplantation. Participants completed the Healthy Behaviours Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. No significant differences in Healthy Behaviours Questionnaire’s total score and psychological comorbidity were observed at three time points. However, there was an increase in drug-consumer habits (p < 0.05) and a reduction in sedentary lifestyle (p < 0.05) at 6 months and 1 year. Moreover, at 1 year, post-transplant had increased the harmful health habits (p < 0.05). In regression analysis, anxiety symptoms were significant predictors of Healthy Behaviours Questionnaire change at a year post-transplantation.