Wai Tong Chien

Effects of a needs-based education programme for family carers with a relative in an intensive care unit: A quasi-experimental study

Abstract Critical illness and subsequent hospitalisation of a relative to an intensive care unit (ICU) can result in many physiological and psychosocial problems for patients and their family members. Caring for the anxiety and frustration of these families is an integral part of critical care nursing. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a needs-based education programme provided within the first 3 days of patients’ hospitalisation, on the anxiety levels and satisfaction of psychosocial needs of their families. This was a quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-test design. A convenience sample was recruited over a period of three months, consisting of one primary family carer of each critically ill patient who had been admitted to an ICU in Hong Kong. Conducted by an ICU nurse specially assigned for the purpose, family carers in the experimental group ( n = 34 ) received an individual education programme based on the results of a literature review and an individual family needs assessment carried out at the time of patient admission, using the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. The subjects in the control group ( n = 32 ) received the usual orientation and explanation given by the ICU nurses. Anxiety and need satisfaction were measured in the two groups at pre- and post-test and their mean scores were compared. Of the ten most important statements identified by the family carers in the two groups, the statements regarding the needs for information and assurance were found to predominate. After the needs-based intervention, the experimental group reported significantly lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of satisfaction of family needs than the control group at the post-test. The findings support the effectiveness of providing families of newly admitted critically ill patients, with a needs-based educational intervention to allay anxiety and satisfy immediate psychosocial needs. The formulation of a family education programme should be based on the results of a needs assessment, in order to meet family carers’ individual needs.

Evaluation of a Peer-Led Mutual Support Group for Chinese Families of People with Schizophrenia

Family interventions in schizophrenia have shown positive effects on patients but little attention has been paid to their effects on family members, particularly those in non-Western countries. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a bi-weekly, 12-session, family-led mutual support group for Chinese caregivers of schizophrenia sufferers over 6 months compared with standard psychiatric care. It was conducted with 76 families of outpatients with schizophrenia in Hong Kong of whom 38 were assigned randomly to either a mutual support group or standard care. Families’ psychosocial health status and patients’ symptom severity and length of re-hospitalizations at recruitment, one-week and 12-month post-intervention were compared between groups. Results of repeated-measures mixed model indicated that the mutual support group experienced significantly greater improvements in families’ burden, functioning and number of support persons and length of patients’ re-hospitalizations at two post-tests. The findings provide evidence that mutual support groups can be an effective family-initiated, community-based intervention for Chinese schizophrenia sufferers.

Social support and coping in Chinese patients undergoing cancer surgery.

Patients undergoing cancer surgery experience the threats from both cancer and surgery. The unique sociocultural characteristics of Hong Kong Chinese may affect their perception of social support and how they face these threatening experiences. Sixty eligible patients were recruited from 2 regional hospitals in Hong Kong. They were asked to respond to a set of questionnaires, including Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), Informational Support Questionnaire, and Jalowiec Coping Scale, following cancer surgery. The results showed that although family members and spouse/partner represented the largest source of social support network, the overall quantity of social support received by Chinese patients after cancer surgery was low. Positive correlations were found between coping effectiveness with tangible support (r = 0.31, P < .05) and coping effectiveness with informational support (r = 0.52, P < .01). The findings of this study support the link between social support and successful coping following cancer surgery. Tangible and informational supports appear more relevant to effective coping than emotional support during the postoperative period. Inclusion of family members in patient care during the postoperative period is crucial. Special attention should be paid to those patients who are older and poorly educated as they may be highly at risk for inadequate social support. Further studies with other cultural groups are suggested in order to better understand the sociocultural factors associated with cancer care.

Current approaches to treatments for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, part ii: psychosocial interventions and patient-focused perspectives in psychiatric care

Schizophrenia is a disabling psychiatric illness associated with disruptions in cognition, emotion, and psychosocial and occupational functioning. Increasing evidence shows that psychosocial interventions for people with schizophrenia, as an adjunct to medications or usual psychiatric care, can reduce psychotic symptoms and relapse and improve patients’ long-term outcomes such as recovery, remission, and illness progression. This critical review of the literature was conducted to identify the common approaches to psychosocial interventions for people with schizophrenia. Treatment planning and outcomes were also explored and discussed to better understand the effects of these interventions in terms of person-focused perspectives such as their perceived quality of life and satisfaction and their acceptability and adherence to treatments or services received. We searched major health care databases such as EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsycLIT and identified relevant literature in English from these databases. Their reference lists were screened, and studies were selected if they met the criteria of using a randomized controlled trial or systematic review design, giving a clear description of the interventions used, and having a study sample of people primarily diagnosed with schizophrenia. Five main approaches to psychosocial intervention had been used for the treatment of schizophrenia: cognitive therapy (cognitive behavioral and cognitive remediation therapy), psychoeducation, family intervention, social skills training, and assertive community treatment. Most of these five approaches applied to people with schizophrenia have demonstrated satisfactory levels of short- to medium-term clinical efficacy in terms of symptom control or reduction, level of functioning, and/or relapse rate. However, the comparative effects between these five approaches have not been well studied; thus, we are not able to clearly understand the superiority of any of these interventions. With the exception of patient relapse, the longer-term (eg, >2 years) effects of these approaches on most psychosocial outcomes are not well-established among these patients. Despite the fact that patients’ perspectives on treatment and care have been increasingly concerned, not many studies have evaluated the effect of interventions on this perspective, and where they did, the findings were inconclusive. To conclude, current approaches to psychosocial interventions for schizophrenia have their strengths and weaknesses, particularly indicating limited evidence on long-term effects. To improve the longer-term outcomes of people with schizophrenia, future treatment strategies should focus on risk identification, early intervention, person-focused therapy, partnership with family caregivers, and the integration of evidence-based psychosocial interventions into existing services.

Current approaches to treatments for schizophrenia spectrum disorders, part I : an overview and medical treatments

During the last three decades, an increasing understanding of the etiology, psychopathology, and clinical manifestations of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, in addition to the introduction of second-generation antipsychotics, has optimized the potential for recovery from the illness. Continued development of various models of psychosocial intervention promotes the goal of schizophrenia treatment from one of symptom control and social adaptation to an optimal restoration of functioning and/or recovery. However, it is still questionable whether these new treatment approaches can address the patients’ needs for treatment and services and contribute to better patient outcomes. This article provides an overview of different treatment approaches currently used in schizophrenia spectrum disorders to address complex health problems and a wide range of abnormalities and impairments resulting from the illness. There are different treatment strategies and targets for patients at different stages of the illness, ranging from prophylactic antipsychotics and cognitive–behavioral therapy in the premorbid stage to various psychosocial interventions in addition to antipsychotics for relapse prevention and rehabilitation in the later stages of the illness. The use of antipsychotics alone as the main treatment modality may be limited not only in being unable to tackle the frequently occurring negative symptoms and cognitive impairments but also in producing a wide variety of adverse effects to the body or organ functioning. Because of varied pharmacokinetics and treatment responsiveness across agents, the medication regimen should be determined on an individual basis to ensure an optimal effect in its long-term use. This review also highlights that the recent practice guidelines and standards have recommended that a combination of treatment modalities be adopted to meet the complex health needs of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. In view of the heterogeneity of the risk factors and the illness progression of individual patients, the use of multifaceted illness management programs consisting of different combinations of physical, psychological, and social interventions might be efficient and effective in improving recovery.

The validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the family burden interview schedule.

BACKGROUND The caregiver burden within the family is one of the most commonly used outcome variables in research studies of patient care provision. However, few measures of family caregiver burden have been validated for use with Asian populations. OBJECTIVE To examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Family Burden Interview Schedule. METHOD The first phase of the investigation involved translation and back translation of the measure for burden and a review by an expert panel. In this phase, equivalence between the Chinese and English versions, content validity, and test-retest reliability of the Family Burden Interview Schedule were assessed using a sample including 30 family caregivers of mental patients. The second phase established the internal consistency and construct validity of the scale using a sample comprising 185 family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia. Sensitivity of the scale for families of schizophrenic patients was examined through comparison with 40 caregivers of patients who had major affective disorder. RESULTS The Chinese version of the Family Burden Interview Schedule adequately addressed the original concepts and dimensions, achieving 96% on the Content Validity Index. These results demonstrated high levels of equivalence with the original English version (intra-class correlation [ICC] of .87 for the overall scale and.80-.89 for the six domains). It also demonstrated a high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha of .87 for the scale and .78-.88 for the domains) and adequate test - retest response stability (r = .83 for the scale and r = .88-.92 for the domains). The mean scores for the overall scale and domains of the Family Burden Interview Schedule differed significantly between the family providers of care for the two illness groups and between the groups with high and low time involvement in caregiving. The principal components analysis showed the presence of five factors that together explained 65.85% of the variance. It also demonstrated high factor loadings as well as item-to-scale and between-subscales intercorrelations, indicating good construct validity of the burden measure. DISCUSSION The findings for the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Family Burden Interview Schedule established its potential as a research instrument for measuring caregiver burden among Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

Childbirth expectations of Chinese first‐time pregnant women

Background.  This topic had not been researched previously and the information gained could have implications for midwives working with Chinese women everywhere. Aims.  To explore the specific childbirth expectations of Hong Kong Chinese first-time pregnant women. Methods.  This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey study and a Chinese version of the Childbirth Expectations Questionnaire was used to collect data. The sample consisted of 186 first-time pregnant women who first attended the antenatal clinic at a large public hospital in a major geographical region of Hong Kong. Results.  Results showed that the Chinese pregnant women, the majority of who had not attended childbirth education classes, had high expectations of support from both their partners and midwives during labour and delivery. Conversely, expectations toward their own ability to cope with pain were relatively low. In addition, the pregnant women expressed concerns about the severity of labour pain and indicated low expectations about minimal use of medical interventions during labour. Conclusions.  This study results add to the existing literature about childbirth expectations of first-time pregnant Hong Kong Chinese women. Midwife educators should incorporate the findings into childbirth education classes to help pregnant women develop realistic and positive expectations.

Perceived Stigma of Patients with Severe Mental Illness in Hong Kong: Relationships with Patients’ Psychosocial Conditions and Attitudes of Family Caregivers and Health Professionals

This descriptive survey investigated the level of perceived stigma among Chinese patients with severe mental illness (SMI) and its relationships with patients’ psychosocial conditions and family caregivers’ and mental health professionals’ attitudes toward SMI in Hong Kong. A clustered, random sample of 311 patients and their family caregivers and 73 Chinese professionals participated. The patients reported a high level of withdrawal/secrecy and the professionals perceived a low to moderate level of stereotype/restriction to their patients. Families’ expressed emotion and caregiving burden could increase patients’ perceived stigma. Strategies in de-stigmatization of mental illness have been discussed, particularly from family-based approach.

Subjective health-related quality of life of Chinese older persons with depression in Shanghai and Hong Kong: relationship to clinical factors, level of functioning and social support

This study aimed to measure and compare the perceptions of HRQoL amongst Chinese older people with depression between Hong Kong and Shanghai and to explore the association of HRQoL with clinical factors, level of functioning and social support in the two sites.

Effectiveness of Psychoeducation and Mutual Support Group Program for Family Caregivers of Chinese People with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a disruptive and distressing illness, not only for the person affected but also for family members. Family intervention, particularly in a group format using a diverse range of modalities, is thought to effectively satisfy the informational needs of families and enhance their coping abilities when caring for a relative with schizophrenia, and thus reduce a patient’s relapse from illness. This study tested the hypothesis that participants in a family psychoeducation and mutual support group would demonstrate significant improvements in levels of patient and family functioning and shorter duration of re-hospitalization than families in routine care. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a sample of 68 Chinese families of schizophrenia sufferers in Hong Kong, who were randomly assigned to either a family psychoeducation and support group (n = 34), or a routine care group (n = 34). The interventions were delivered at two psychiatric outpatient clinics over a nine-month period. Results of multivariate analyses of variance test indicated that the psychoeducation and support group reported greater improvements on family and patient functioning and shorter lengths of patient hospitalizations at the two post-tests (one month and one year after completion of the intervention), compared with the routine care group. The findings substantiate that within a Chinese context, psychoeducation and mutual support group intervention can effectively help families care for a mentally ill relative.