Vivian W. Q. Lou

Evaluating an Empowerment Group for Divorced Chinese Women in Hong Kong

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Body-Mind-Spirit empowerment group for divorced Chinese women in Hong Kong. Method: A pretest and posttest comparison was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the group intervention by comparing perceived level of stress and sense of empowerment among 67 divorced women participants. Results: Compared to data obtained before intervention, the participants reported significant changes in their perceived level of stress and sense of empowerment after five group sessions. Conclusion: The effectiveness of the empowerment group for divorced Chinese women was supported by the findings.

Translation and validation of the standard Chinese version of PDQ-39: A quality-of-life measure for patients with Parkinson's disease

PDQ‐39 has been widely used in the research and clinical management of Parkinsons disease. It has been translated into and validated in various non‐English languages. We report here on the validity and reliability results for the translated standard Chinese PDQ‐39 questionnaire. Fifty‐four patients were recruited from a movement disorder clinic and two regional patient groups, and data were collected by direct interview. Nineteen patients had the tests repeated 4 weeks later to assess the test–retest and interrater reliability. The standard Chinese version of PDQ‐39 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbachs α = 0.54–0.90) and was comparable to versions in other languages. Further analysis showed good construct validity and test–retest reliability. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Participatory Empowerment Group for Chinese Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Participatory Empowerment Group (PEG) for Chinese type 2 diabetes patients in Shanghai. Method: A randomized waiting list control and pretest and posttest comparisons were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention by comparing blood sugar level and health-related quality of life. Results: Before the intervention, scores on both blood sugar and quality of life did not differ significantly between the experimental and control groups. After the intervention, participants in the experimental group scored higher on quality of life and lower on blood sugar level compared to the control group. Conclusions: The PEG was effective in enhancing the quality of life of Chinese type 2 diabetes patients.

Organizational capacities for 'residential care homes for the elderly' to provide culturally appropriate end-of- life care for Chinese elders and their families.

Developing culturally appropriate end-of-life care for Chinese elderly and families is not an endemic challenge for Hong Kong, but that of the Western countries with a noticeable trend of rising Chinese population. The particular development of Hong Kong healthcare system, which is currently the major provider of end-of-life care, makes Hong Kong a fruitful case for understanding the confluence of the West and the East cultures in end-of-life care practices. This study therefore aims at building our best practice to enhance the capacity of residential care homes in providing culturally appropriate end-of-life care. We conducted two phases of research, a questionnaire survey and a qualitative study, which respectively aims at (1) understanding the EoL care service demand and provision in RCHEs, including death facts and perceived barriers and challenges in providing quality end-of-life care in care homes, and (2) identifying the necessary organizational capacities for the relational personhood to be sustained in the process of ageing and dying in residential care homes. Findings shed light on how to empower residential care homes with necessary environmental, structural and cultural-resource-related capacity for providing quality end-of-life care for Chinese elders and their families.

Objective and subjective financial burden and its associations with health-related quality of life among lung cancer patients

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effect of financial burden, using objective and subjective indicators, on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in lung cancer patients.MethodA total of 227 patients diagnosed with lung cancer (from the inpatient unit of the department of internal medicine-chest oncology, in Shanghai Chest Hospital, China) participated in the study. Financial information was measured by direct medical costs, direct nonmedical costs, healthcare-cost-to-income ratio, and perceived financial difficulty. HRQOL was measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) scale.FindingsCatastrophic health spending, defined as a healthcare-cost-to-income ratio of more than 40%, was reported in 72.7% of the participants, whereas 37.0% reported that healthcare costs exceeded annual household income. Financial difficulty was perceived in 83.7% of the participants. Patients whose healthcare costs exceeded their annual household income and who perceived financial difficulty reported a clinically meaningful difference in overall HRQOL (>xa06 points on the FACT-L) compared with participants without catastrophic health spending or perceived financial difficulty. Healthcare costs did not show a significant effect on HRQOL.ConclusionHealthcare costs exceeding total annual household income and perceived financial difficulty are associated with poorer HRQOL in lung cancer patients. Subjective indicator of financial burden has a stronger effect on quality of life than objective indicators.ImplicationHealth-cost-to-income ratio and perceived financial difficulty can be implied as objective and subjective indicators of financial burden to identify the patients who may need additional assistance. Communication on deciding on cost-effective treatments can be facilitated.

Intergenerational relationships and the trajectory of depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults in rural migrant families

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study examined the trajectory patterns of depressive symptoms of older rural Chinese adults in migrant families and the role of intergenerational relationships in predicting trajectory class memberships. Method: Data were derived from the 2001, 2003, 2006, and 2009 waves of a longitudinal survey titled The Well-being of Older People in Anhui Province. The sample featured 486 respondents who had at least one migrant adult children at all four waves. Growth mixture modeling was used to investigate the trajectory classifications of depressive symptoms from 2001 to 2009 and antecedents in differentiating among class memberships. Results: The findings suggested a two-class model to interpret depressive symptom trajectory patterns: persistently high symptoms and low but increasing symptoms. Older adults who had better intergenerational relationships at baseline were more likely to have low but increasing depressive symptoms after controlling for other covariates. Discussion: The findings suggest that intergenerational relationships have long-term impacts on depressive symptom trajectory classes. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.

A Review of Nonfamilial Intergenerational Programs on Changing Age Stereotypes and Well-Being in East Asia

ABSTRACT This paper examines whether nonfamilial intergeneration programs reduce age stereotyping and increase the well-being of both youth and older adults in five East Asian communities. We used the systematic review method and screened 2,261 abstracts, selecting 14 publications for full review. Studies reported positive attitudinal changes among young and old participants. The intergeneration programs generally covered one of two themes: art activities or cultural heritage. Three best practices that can enhance intervention effectiveness were pre-intervention training, maintaining the intensity of the intervention on a weekly base, and pair-wise matching between the two stakeholders. More studies are recommended to test intergenerational programs with randomized designs and a wider age range of young participants. Culturally specific intergenerational contact theory is also in need of development, particularly “status concern” between the young and old generation.

Community Restructuring and Depressive Symptoms of Rural Mature and Elderly Adults: A Multilevel Analysis Based on a National Dataset in China

Community restructuring is an important predictor for residents’ mental health. However, few studies have investigated how it affects the depressive symptoms of rural ageing population. Using cross-sectional data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study examined how community restructuring was associated with depressive symptoms of Chinese rural mature and older adults and what community-level factors mediated the association. We found that people in restructuring communities reported .75 unit lower depression score (pu2009<u2009.01); community restructuring is associated with more infrastructure, recreational amenities, and grassroots organization (pu2009<u2009.001) in the community; and the availability of infrastructure (pu2009<u2009.01) and grassroots organization (pu2009<u2009.05) had significant indirect effect on the association between community restructuring and depressive symptoms. World countries’ urbanization policy shall not only focus on community physical environment, but also on the development of grassroots organizations that involve and connect local people.

Geographical proximity and depressive symptoms among adult child caregivers: social support as a moderator

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study examined whether geographical proximity is a predictor of depressive symptoms, and whether family and friend support can moderate the relationship between geographical proximity and depressive symptoms. Method: A survey of 557 adult child primary caregivers was conducted in Shanghai, China in 2013. Geographical proximity was measured as a categorical variable: coresidence, short distance (less than 30 minutes’ travel time), and long distance (more than 30 minutes’ travel time). Family and friend support were assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Center on Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Multiple regression analyses and interaction terms were used to test the moderating roles of family and friend support. Results: Adult child caregivers who live more than 30 minutes away from care recipients experienced higher depressive symptoms than coresiding caregivers (β = .114, p < .01). Family support (β = −.408, p < .05) and friend support (β = −.235, p < .05) were protective factors that lessened depressive symptoms for long-distance adult child caregivers. Conclusion: This study adds spatial dimension to caregiving literature and extends stress process theory. These findings have important implications for service planning and social support for adult child caregivers.

Validating the Effectiveness Scale of Children’s Familial Influencing Behavior Within Three-Generational Relationships

Purpose: This study examined the development and validation of the Effectiveness Scale of Child Familial Influencing Behavior. This measurement is constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of child familial influencing behaviors within three-generational relationships. Methods: The effectiveness of child familial influencing behaviors was rated by two informants (parent and grandparent) on 601 children from Grade 1 to Grade 3 in China. Results: The Effectiveness Scale of Child Familial Influencing Behavior consisted of three factors with 12 indicators related to highly influential tactics, moderately influential tactics, and low influential tactics and showed satisfactory reliability, a good model fit, and strong construct validity. Discussion: The findings provided good evidence of the Effectiveness Scale of Child Familial Influencing Behavior as a reliable tool with which to evaluate child familial influencing behaviors in a multigenerational context. Implications for further social work practice and research are discussed.