Background: In the sub-Saharan African countries, cancer pain is a widespread and intractable problem that has a major impact on the quality of life of patients with cancer and their relatives. For many patients, cancer causes a series of symptoms, where pain is one of those that, according to research, affects the patient negatively in several ways. Purpose: The purpose of the literature review was to compile literature on pain in patients with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. Method: A general literature study based on a systematic method of analyzing data (Popenoe et al., 2021). Searches have taken place in databases of scientific articles and 13 articles with a qualitative, quantitative and banded design have been included.   Results: A compilation of the results yielded four themes: Occurrence of pain, Pain assessment instruments, Medicines, CAM and alternative treatment methods and Impact on daily life. The studies show that patients with cancer report a lot of pain and that assessment tools are used very rarely. In addition to this, drugs for pain are difficult to obtain. Alternative treatment methods are common and pain is strongly associated with anxiety, depression and negative impact on quality of life.   Conclusion: Patients with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa report a lot of pain, which has a major impact on daily life. A number of obstacles to optimal pain relief have been identified and several studies have been conducted on these obstacles. Solutions exist, but the process is complicated by laws, financial priorities, the ignorance of the healthcare staff and availability of pain medication. Education of healthcare professionals, overview of laws and local regulations and increased availability of pain medication can improve the pain problem and increase the quality of life for patients with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease affecting adults with disease onset averaging between 50-60 years of age. As neurons die, patients experience rapid physical and cognitive decline with death typically following 3-5 years after diagnosis. As there is currently no cure for disease and no treatment to prolong life expectancy, medical management is focused on quality of life. In addition to traditional medical treatments, medical professionals must also consider maximizing autonomy as a way to increase quality of life with a focus on relational and psychological factors. For patients in low-income urban neighborhoods, inequalities affecting agency should be evaluated as part of medical care to increase both autonomy and overall quality of life. / Urban Bioethics

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The inability of a large proportion of the working class to sustain a decent quality of life has placed increased importance on paying employees a living wage, that is, an income amount that enables meaningful participation in society above mere survival. However, while this notion seems promising, it does not account for the complexities in the relationship between income and quality of life; which, of course, is influenced by several moderating factors. This study considered two of these, financial capability and decent work, thereby assuming that the ability of income to effectively lead to a good quality of life is influenced by whether or not individuals engage in financial capability behaviours or perceive their work as decent. A cross sectional descriptive design was used and a final sample of N = 153 general salaried employees in South Africa participated in a self-report survey. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that each of the four financial capabilities (making ends meet, keeping track, planning ahead, and staying informed behaviours) were unidimensional in nature; while decent work produced a three-factor structure, inconsistent with its original five-factor conceptualisation. Spearman rho correlation results revealed that income was positively related to quality of life, and moderation analysis revealed that planning ahead was the only financial capability that influenced the relationship between income and quality of life. All other financial capabilities as well as decent work produced non-significant findings. Considering these results, study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed, followed by outlining theoretical and practical implications.

This article analyzes data collected from Liberian women afflicted by the Ebola virus disease, survivors of the virus and noninfected persons living in Ebola-affected homes. This research is one of the first statistical analyses examining factors diminishing quality of life: negative experiences, stigma, and psychosocial symptoms among females affected by the virus after the outbreak. The research presents a thorough literature review, including research related to other infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, to inform the gap in studies on Ebola’s effects on quality of life. Women who are Ebola virus disease survivors demonstrate significant differences in stigma and psychosocial stress when compared to their female peers. This article attempts to broaden understanding of the conditions and mental health of women affected by Ebola.

HIV-related disclosure concerns are associated with higher rates of concealment and poorer well-being, including poorer health related HIV quality of life (HIV-QOL). Little research, however, has examined whether gender differences exist in the links between HIV disclosure concerns and HIV-QOL. We expected that disclosure concerns and gender would be associated with HIV-QOL, such that the relationship between disclosure concerns and poorer HIV-QOL to be stronger in women living with HIV (WLWH) than in men living with HIV (MLWH). One hundred and forty MLWH (n = 102) and WLWH (n = 38) completed an online questionnaire consisting of measures regarding their demographics, disclosure concerns (HIV-stigma scale), and HIV-QOL (HIV-AIDS-Targeted Quality of Life Instrument). Results suggested that more disclosure concerns were associated with poorer HIV-QOL, but in general, men and women did not differ in their levels of HIV-QOL. As expected, interactions emerged between gender and disclosure concerns such that disclosure concerns were associated with increased health worries and poorer sexual functioning for WLWH but not for MLWH. Interventions should acknowledge the differing needs and experiences of WLWH in order to improve HIV-QOL and increase longevity.

Sexual minorities, or those who do not identify as straight, face stigmatizing experiences which can lead to disparities in physical and mental health, as well as social and economic resources. Additionally, transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) persons, or those whose sex assigned at birth is not fully aligned with their gender identity, experience similar disparities related to stigma and lack of resources. The current study aimed to examine quality of life and drug use between TGNC and cisgender (or non-TGNC) individuals who all identify as sexual minorities to explore how being TGNC may further widen gaps in quality of life beyond sexual orientation. We examined four components of quality of life – physical, psychological, social, and environmental. Additionally, we examined frequency of use of various drugs as a component of quality of life and risk behavior. Within a sample of 213 sexual minorities, 63 (29.6%) identified as TGNC. Independent samples t-test were run to examine differences in quality of life Page 180 2017 Appalachian Student Research Forum and drug use between TGNC and cisgender participants. TGNC participants reported significantly lower physical quality of life (M=13.35, SD=2.97) than cisgender participants (M=14.99, SD=2.59), t(211)=-4.05, p<.001; lower psychological quality of life (M=11.24, SD=3.18) than cisgender participants (M=12.62, SD=2.99), t(211)=-3.04, p=.003; and lower environmental quality of life (M=15.41, SD=2.78) than cisgender participants (M=16.83, SD=2.94), t(211)=-3.25, p=.001. Additionally, TGNC participants reported higher use of sleep medications (M=0.87, SD=2.01) than cisgender participants (M=0.39, SD=1.29), t(210)=2.06, p=0.040; higher use of opioids (M=0.30, SD=0.98) than cisgender participants (M=0.05, SD=0.38), t(210)=2.66, p=.008; and higher use of barbiturates (M=0.03, SD=0.18) than cisgender participants (M=0.00, SD=0.00),t(211)=2.21, p=.028. These findings indicate that experiences related to gender identity may explain additional disparities in quality of life above and beyond those related to sexual orientation, and that future research should examine multiple identity characteristics when attempting to explain health disparities.