Research report submitted the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Occupational therapy / This cross sectional quantitative study aimed to examine the understanding parents/caregivers have of school readiness requirements for Grade 1 children in comparison to expected scholastic criteria in the Gauteng province and the demographic factors which may affect this. A questionnaire was specifically designed for this study based on CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) and IEB (Independent Education Board) and included looking at various area of development. Questionnaire content was validated by experts in a pilot study. Five hundred and ten questionnaires were circulated to parents/caregivers of Grade R and Grade 1 scholars in 2 urban and 1 private school. Two hundred and ten questionnaires were returned of which 180 were included in the data analysis. Overall results revealed that parents/caregivers had a better understanding of school readiness with respect to thinking and reasoning; motor ability; numerical skills and speaking abilities. They had moderate understanding of writing abilities; life skills and listening skills with the least knowledge about activities of daily living, reading and viewing skills and language structure and use. The only significant demographic factor that was identified was the level of education of the mother. This suggested that a higher level of education enabled the prediction of school readiness. / MT2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment for the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in Psychiatry Johannesburg, 2017 / Introduction: Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness, which is often characterized by a relapsing course with resultant effects on most areas of functioning due to the disability associated with it. The presence of any of the symptoms of schizophrenia can be extremely distressing for the families or caregivers who care for the patient. The term caregiver burden arose following the deinstitutionalization of mental health patients that was associated with integration of patients with severe mental illnesses into the community. Limited data of caregiver burden and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) is available in South Africa. The aim of the present study is to describe the nature of caregiver burden and to describe the relationship between caregiver burden and QOL. Methods: The study is descriptive and cross-sectional in nature and was conducted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital from February 2014 to October 2014. Data was collected from caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in the form of questionnaires. Caregiver burden was assessed by the use of a Caregiver Strain Index questionnaire with a score greater than 7 suggesting a high caregiver burden. Quality of life was assessed with the World Health Organization Quality of Life brief questionnaire; it is scored on six domains each of which contributes to the caregiver’s overall impression of their quality of life. Results: Of the 127 participants identified for the study, eight six participated. Significant factors associated with higher caregiver burden were as follows: increased number of admissions per year, caring for adults less within the ages of 46-55 years, caring for patients with psychosocial stressors and living in a household with 3 to 4 people. Conclusion: The relationship between caregiver burden and caregiver QOL suggested that as caregiver burden increases, QOL decreases. / MT2017

No description available.

TITLE: Gender differences in substance use and depression among caregivers AUTHOR INFO Memunat Ogunmefun Manik Ahuja Author Affiliations: College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, United States Background: Around 20% of adults in the United States provide care for a loved one, with approximately 61% of these caregivers identifying as women. Typically, a caregiver is defined as someone who provides help and support to a family member or friend who is facing illness or disability as a result of a medical condition. Caregiving may be rewarding, but it can also cause significant psychological strain, leading to adverse consequences, such as turning to substance use to cope with stress. Increased levels of stress in caregivers can make them more susceptible to various health problems, such as depression and anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, compromised physical health, cardiovascular disease, and substance use disorders. The aim of this study is to examine the gender differences in substance use and depression among caregivers using a nationally representative sample. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System a nationally representative U.S. telephone-based survey of adults aged 18 years and extracted data for non-metropolitan/rural counties. Logistic regression analyses were conducted separately to test the association between self-identified caregiver status and three outcomes, including depression and current alcohol use. We controlled for past month’s income, race, educational status, and age. Caregiver status was identified based on providing care or assistance to a friend or family member over the last 30 days. Results: Overall, 21.7% (n=13,653) of our participants self-identified as a caregiver, while 19.5% reported depression, past month alcohol use (48.2%), past month smoking (13.5%), and past month marijuana use (4.2%). Significant interactions were found between caregiver status and gender (p=.0001). We then stratified by gender. Among males, self-identified caregiver status was associated with higher odds of depression (OR=1.48, 95% CI, 1.41,1.55). Among females, caregiver status was associated with higher odds of depression (OR=1.48, 95% CI, 1.29, 1.39). Caregiver status did not predict alcohol use. Conclusion: Caregiving has been known to cause psychological strain which may be associated with alcohol use and depression. According to this study, being a caregiver may contribute to depression regardless of gender, but it does not necessarily affect alcohol consumption. The gender differences observed in this study highlight the need for interventions and support programs that are tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges faced by male and female caregivers. It is important for healthcare professionals to consider caregiver status and gender when assessing mental health risk factors.

No / Statement of context: The Helping Occupational Performance through Engagement programme is a series of workshops which aim to equip informal caregivers with the skills and knowledge they require to engage a person with dementia in meaningful daily occupations. Reflection on practice: Following the initial implementation of the programme, a service evaluation was carried out to establish whether these aims were being met. The evaluation took a mixed methods approach, combining questionnaire and focus group data obtained from participants of the programme. Implications for practice: Results demonstrated that whilst in general the programme is fulfilling its aims, further evaluation is required to establish the long-term impact of the programme.

Yes / Objectives: We aimed to examine change over time in self-rated quality of life (QoL) in people with mild-to-moderate dementia and identify sub-groups with distinct QoL trajectories. Method: We used data from people with mild-to-moderate dementia followed up at 12 and 24 months in the IDEAL cohort study (baseline n=1537). A latent growth model approach examined mean change over time in QoL, assessed with the QoL-AD scale, and investigated associations of baseline demographic, cognitive and psychological covariates with the intercept and slope of QoL. We employed growth mixture modelling to identify multiple growth trajectories. Results: Overall mean QoL scores were stable and no associations with change over time were observed. Four classes of QoL trajectories were identified: two with higher baseline QoL scores, labelled Stable (74.9%) and Declining (7.6%), and two with lower baseline QoL scores, labelled Stable Lower (13.7%) and Improving (3.8%). The Declining class had higher baseline levels of depression and loneliness, and lower levels of self-esteem and optimism, than the Stable class. The Stable Lower class was characterised by disadvantage related to social structure, poor physical health, functional disability, and low psychological well-being The Improving class was similar to the Stable Lower class but had lower cognitive test scores. Discussion: Understanding individual trajectories can contribute to personalised care planning. Efforts to prevent decline in perceived QoL should primarily target psychological well-being. Efforts to improve QoL for those with poorer QoL should additionally address functional impairment, isolation, and disadvantage related to social structure. / This work was supported by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, part of UK Research and Innovation, UKRI) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) grant ES/L001853/2. Alzheimer‟s Society Centre of Excellence grant 348, ASPR2-16-001

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1999. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1999. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of the present study was to compare 42 community-dwelling spouse and child Alzheimer's Disease caregivers with 38 community-dwelling potential caregivers on salience of illness symptoms, and accuracy of judging symptoms of illnesses.