O diabetes é considerado uma das doenças crônicas mais prevalentes na atualidade. Para seu tratamento, é necessário que a pessoa incorpore no seu cotidiano dieta, atividade física, automonitorização da glicose sanguínea e, com o passar do tempo, uso de medicamento. Desta forma, é importante o envolvimento da família nesse processo, incentivando a pessoa a aderir aos cuidados necessários. O presente estudo, de natureza descritiva, foi desenvolvido na cidade de Passos-MG, com pessoas matriculadas no Programa de Assistência ao Diabético, com objetivo de analisar a influência do apoio social familiar no cuidado de pessoas com diabetes tipo 2. Os dados foram coletados no período entre 1 de setembro a 30 de dezembro de 2004, de 51 pessoas por meio de entrevista individual, utilizando-se a Técnica do Incidente Crítico para obtenção dos relatos positivos e negativos de eventos que envolveram os familiares, que pudessem estar influenciando no cuidado. Foram utilizados dois instrumentos, sendo o primeiro para a caracterização das pessoas participantes e o segundo para a coleta dos incidentes críticos propriamente ditos. Após análise dos relatos, foram definidas quatro categorias principais: alterações na família/amigos, alterações decorrentes da doença, práticas terapêuticas e alterações salariais/poder aquisitivo. Os relatos positivos se referiram ao apoio da família no cuidado diário, adesão a hábitos saudáveis, confraternizações com familiares/amigos, participação em grupos, entre outros. Os relatos negativos se referiram à falta de apoio da família, discussões e preocupação com familiares, depressão, sentimento de medo e isolamento, desemprego, dentre outros. Viver com diabetes significa ajustar-se a uma complexa reciprocidade entre as relações familiares, emoções, hábitos e controle da glicemia, enfim, mudanças às vezes consideradas drásticas tanto no estilo de vida pessoal quanto familiar. É imprescindível o envolvimento dos profissionais, pessoas com diabetes mellitus e familiares no cuidado. Uma estratégia utilizada é o incentivo à participação em grupos de diabéticos, envolvendo os familiares, o que poderá contribuir para a adesão aos cuidados, visando a prevenção de complicações agudas e crônicas. / Nowadays, diabetes is considered to be one of the most prevailing chronic diseases. Its treatment requires patients to incorporate a diet, physical exercise, selfmonitoring of blood glucose and, over time, use of medication, into their daily reality. This makes it very important to involve families into this process, encouraging patients to adhere to the necessary care. The current study, of descriptive nature, was developed in Passos-MG, Brazil, involving a group of people who were registered in the Diabetic Assistance Program, having as its main objective to analyze the influence of the family’s social support for type 2 diabetes patients. Data were collected from September 1st to December 30th 2004, from 51 participants by means of individual interviews. In this process, the Critical Incident Technique was used in order to obtain positive and negative reports about events involving family members who might have particular aspects of influence on the patient’s care. Two mechanisms were used: the first one for providing the depiction of the participant individuals, and the second one for collecting the critical incidents themselves. After analyzing the reports, four main categories were defined: changes in the family/friends, changes resulting from the disease, treatment procedures and salary/purchasing power changes. The positive reports were related to families’ support in daily care, adherence to healthy habits, gatherings with family members/friends, group participation, among others. Negative reports referred to the lack of family support, argumentation and worries about family members, depression, feelings of fear and isolation, unemployment, among others. Living with diabetes means adapting to a complex reciprocity among family relationships, emotions, habits and glucose control, in short, changes that are sometimes considered as drastic, both in the patient’s and the family’s lifestyle. Therefore, the existence of total commitment and involvement of the related professionals, diabetes mellitus patients and their family members in the process of care becomes essential. One strategy that is used is to encourage the patient on participating in diabetes groups, involving the family members, which can contribute to the adherence to necessary care actions, leading to prevention of acute and chronic complications.

O diabetes é considerado uma das doenças crônicas mais prevalentes na atualidade. Para seu tratamento, é necessário que a pessoa incorpore no seu cotidiano dieta, atividade física, automonitorização da glicose sanguínea e, com o passar do tempo, uso de medicamento. Desta forma, é importante o envolvimento da família nesse processo, incentivando a pessoa a aderir aos cuidados necessários. O presente estudo, de natureza descritiva, foi desenvolvido na cidade de Passos-MG, com pessoas matriculadas no Programa de Assistência ao Diabético, com objetivo de analisar a influência do apoio social familiar no cuidado de pessoas com diabetes tipo 2. Os dados foram coletados no período entre 1 de setembro a 30 de dezembro de 2004, de 51 pessoas por meio de entrevista individual, utilizando-se a Técnica do Incidente Crítico para obtenção dos relatos positivos e negativos de eventos que envolveram os familiares, que pudessem estar influenciando no cuidado. Foram utilizados dois instrumentos, sendo o primeiro para a caracterização das pessoas participantes e o segundo para a coleta dos incidentes críticos propriamente ditos. Após análise dos relatos, foram definidas quatro categorias principais: alterações na família/amigos, alterações decorrentes da doença, práticas terapêuticas e alterações salariais/poder aquisitivo. Os relatos positivos se referiram ao apoio da família no cuidado diário, adesão a hábitos saudáveis, confraternizações com familiares/amigos, participação em grupos, entre outros. Os relatos negativos se referiram à falta de apoio da família, discussões e preocupação com familiares, depressão, sentimento de medo e isolamento, desemprego, dentre outros. Viver com diabetes significa ajustar-se a uma complexa reciprocidade entre as relações familiares, emoções, hábitos e controle da glicemia, enfim, mudanças às vezes consideradas drásticas tanto no estilo de vida pessoal quanto familiar. É imprescindível o envolvimento dos profissionais, pessoas com diabetes mellitus e familiares no cuidado. Uma estratégia utilizada é o incentivo à participação em grupos de diabéticos, envolvendo os familiares, o que poderá contribuir para a adesão aos cuidados, visando a prevenção de complicações agudas e crônicas. / Nowadays, diabetes is considered to be one of the most prevailing chronic diseases. Its treatment requires patients to incorporate a diet, physical exercise, selfmonitoring of blood glucose and, over time, use of medication, into their daily reality. This makes it very important to involve families into this process, encouraging patients to adhere to the necessary care. The current study, of descriptive nature, was developed in Passos-MG, Brazil, involving a group of people who were registered in the Diabetic Assistance Program, having as its main objective to analyze the influence of the family’s social support for type 2 diabetes patients. Data were collected from September 1st to December 30th 2004, from 51 participants by means of individual interviews. In this process, the Critical Incident Technique was used in order to obtain positive and negative reports about events involving family members who might have particular aspects of influence on the patient’s care. Two mechanisms were used: the first one for providing the depiction of the participant individuals, and the second one for collecting the critical incidents themselves. After analyzing the reports, four main categories were defined: changes in the family/friends, changes resulting from the disease, treatment procedures and salary/purchasing power changes. The positive reports were related to families’ support in daily care, adherence to healthy habits, gatherings with family members/friends, group participation, among others. Negative reports referred to the lack of family support, argumentation and worries about family members, depression, feelings of fear and isolation, unemployment, among others. Living with diabetes means adapting to a complex reciprocity among family relationships, emotions, habits and glucose control, in short, changes that are sometimes considered as drastic, both in the patient’s and the family’s lifestyle. Therefore, the existence of total commitment and involvement of the related professionals, diabetes mellitus patients and their family members in the process of care becomes essential. One strategy that is used is to encourage the patient on participating in diabetes groups, involving the family members, which can contribute to the adherence to necessary care actions, leading to prevention of acute and chronic complications.

abstract: The transition process from high school to college can be filled with many rewards and challenges not only for students, but also for their families. As institutions have continued to evolve to support student success and retention, many universities have added or expanded parent and family program offices. While universities continue to work collaboratively with families promote student success, it is important to understand the how the needs of families may vary. One area to explore is the proximity of students to their family members and how distance may impact the transition for both students and families. A perceived problem in this study was that family members of local students were not as engaged as family members who lived outside the local area. The purpose of this action research study was to better understand and enhance the experience of local families as their students transitioned from high school to college. The study and innovation were grounded in two theoretical frameworks: funds of knowledge and Schlossberg’s transition theory. The innovation developed based upon learnings from these theoretical frameworks included four elements: (a) a family guide, (b) family newsletters, (c) an online family video series, and (d) an updated parent and family website. The study was a mixed methods action research study conducted over the course of one semester. Quantitative data was collected through the use of a presurvey at the start of the academic year and a postsurvey as the semester completed. Qualitative data was collected through individual interviews with local family members. The results of this study indicated that families who participated in at least one element of the innovation reported more knowledge of campus resources, felt more supported by the institution, and were confident in their ability to assist their student in the transition to college. Additionally, implications for practice and areas for future research were explored. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Higher and Postsecondary Education 2019

The study reports on analyses of data collected from the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP) for 5,859 children with Autism (n = 511), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI, n = 522), or Mental Retardation (MR, n = 4826) whose legal guardians applied for support services through the Utah Department of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD). Results indicate that the least to most frequent problem behaviors were (a) destructive to property, (b) hurtful to self, (c) hurtful to others, (d) socially offensive, (e) unusual habits, (f) withdrawal, (g) uncooperative, and (h) disruptive behaviors. The degree of severity varied from problem to problem, with uncooperative behaviors rated as most severe. Males displayed higher frequency and severity for all problem behaviors, except hurtful to self.

Over 43 million Americans suffer from mental illness annually with 40% seeking support from clergy (Polson & Rogers, 2007) who claim to be ineffectively prepared (Farrell & Goebert, 2008). This study investigated if mental health training administered to clergy would increase their knowledge of various mental disorders, alter their opinion regarding helpful resources, grow their self-confidence to help individuals experiencing mental health issues, and increase clergy's willingness to refer out. The theoretical basis for this research was attribution theory that attempts to explain social perceptions (Mannarini & Boffo, 2013) and the struggle individuals (i.e. clergy) have regarding the causation of mental health concerns (Locke & Pennington, 1982) and identification of mental illness symptoms (Miller, Smith & Uleman, 1981). In the within-group study, clergy completed the Mental Health Effectiveness Questionnaire pre and post training to answer the following questions: Does participation in a training workshop affect clergy's knowledge of mental disorders, opinion regarding helpful resources, self-confidence to assist an individual with mental health issues, and willingness to refer to a helpful resource? The majority of participants had experience with mental illness. Unexpected results showed mental health training positively influenced some opinions regarding helpful resources and confidence to assist someone with mental illness. The results of this research may influence positive social change by showing that faith based mental health training may do more than increase confidence to someone to assist and refer an individual experiencing mental health issues. It may also be a means of social support to family members already possessing knowledge of mental illness or indicate that family members are in search of more faith based mental health training.

This qualitative and quantitative study focused on exploring hospice patient’s perceptions of family support. Family support was conceptualized as which family member they expect to receive support from, types of support provided, frequency of support, family communication about medical illness, and type of support that is perceived to be most helpful. Fifteen partcipants between the ages of 70 to 98 were interviewed using purposive sampling. Findings showed that although participants found both physical and emotional support helpful, more than half reported perceiving emotional support as the most helpful. Recommendations for social work practice and research were discussed.

Thesis (M.PH.) --University of Limpopo, 2012 / Objectives: To determine the level of adherence of people who are on ARVs and to determine the influence of HIV and AIDS stigma and family support on adherence and non-adherence to antiretrovirals. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study involving 175 HIV/AIDS adult patients attending Siloam hospital was conducted. These patients were on ARV drugs. They were investigated for the level of adherence and the influence of HIV and AIDS stigma and family support on adherence and non-adherence to antiretrovirals. Data were collected from respondents through self-administered questionnaires which were distributed to 175 randomly selected participants. The key variables were demographic information and social support and disclosure, current use of ARVs and personal experience of living with HIV/AIDS. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, numerical summaries, tables, graphs, ANOVA, Pearson chi-square test and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Results: Forty comma eight percent (40,8%) of the respondents on ARVs were males and 28, 8 % females aged between 23-35 years; 23, 9% males and 40, 4% females ranged between 36-45 years; 35, 2% males and 30, 8% were 46 years old and above. The most commonly cited reasons for missing doses were: Social grant, forgetting, side effects and stigma. The most cited reasons for taking medication were: respondents wanted to feel better; to increase the CD4 count; and they feared death. The majority of the adhering participants, 68, 9% and 55, 8% of the non- adhering group never experienced negative reactions from their families after disclosure. There was no significant difference between the adhering and the non adhering group (P =0.250). A substantial number of ARV users of the adhering group 92, 2% participants disclosed that they were receiving support which included emotional/psychological support, financial support, physical care support as well as reminders to ensure that they took their medications on time. There was no significant difference between the adhering and the non adhering group on the general satisfaction with the overall support they received from their family (p= 0.976). Conclusion: Patients have a range of reasons for failing to adhere to their antiretroviral therapy and reasons for adhering. Support can improve adherence to therapy and patients can only receive support if they revealed their HIV positive status. It was recommended that the community should be sensitised about the availability of treatment and the importance of adherence Keywords: Adherence, antiretrovirals, HIV/AIDS, stigma and family support

The outcomes of a child protection/family support programme, the Cottage Community Care Pilot Project, were evaluated in this study. The evaluation employed a non-equivalent comparison group design of 'at risk' consenting first-time mothers in the perinatal period with babies up to 6 weeks of age. Ninety-three families were recruited and 58 of these were matched with a trained volunteer home visitor. Analysis of assessment items and questionnaires, reviews of hospital records and the Department of Community Services Child abuse and neglect notification register and focus groups with mothers and volunteers provided the information used in this study. The CCCP had an impact on particular aspects of family function, certain infant and maternal health indices and the families' use of community services, but its contribution to reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect is less clear. Client and volunteer feedback indicated support for the programme. While home visitation by trained volunteers is not proposed as the total answer for effective child protection or family support, the findings of this evaluation suggest that there is a place for similar programmes. / Master of Science (Hons)

In Sweden and elsewhere there is evidence of poorer cancer survival for patients of low socioeconomic status (SES), and in some settings differences in treatment by SES have been shown. The aim of this thesis was to explore factors which influence cancer treatment decisions, such as knowledge reaped from clinical trials, patient-related factors, and physician-related factors. In a register study of colorectal cancer, all stages, patients were stratified for SES-factors. Differences were seen with regards to clinical investigation, surgical and oncological treatment and survival, with the highly educated group being favored. Survival was better for highly educated patients in stages I, II and III but not in stage IV. In a Scandinavian cohort of newly metastasized colorectal cancer patients, recruitment to clinical trials was studied. Patients entering clinical trials had better performance status and fewer cancer symptoms than those who were treated with chemotherapy outside of a clinical trial. Median survival was 21.3 months for trial-patients and 15.2 months for those treated with chemotherapy outside a  trial. Those not treated with chemotherapy had a median survival of just 2.1 months. Patients in clinical trials are highly selected and conclusions drawn from studies cannot be applied to all patients. In the same cohort, treatment and survival were stratified for education, smoking and indicators of social structure. Highly educated patients did not have a survival advantage. Patients who lived alone were offered less combination chemotherapy and surgery of metastases than other patients and had 4 months shorter survival than those who lived with a spouse or child. In a fourth study, 20 Swedish gastrointestinal oncologists were interviewed on which factors they considered when deciding on oncological treatment. Oncologists feared chemotherapy complications due to lack of social support, and ordered less combination chemotherapy for patients living alone. Highly educated patients were seen as well-read and demanding, and giving in to these patients’ requests for treatment was regarded as a way of pleasing patients and relatives and of avoiding conflict.

Recent years have seen increasing acknowledgment that aircraft accidents affect not only those who are killed or injured, but also the families and friends of victims. Survivors, victims and their families require sensitive treatment in order to help them cope with what has occurred. Following high profile accidents including USAir 427 and TWA 800, the United State of America started a new program which they call it Family Assistance after Air Disaster. After that a several documents providing guidance for dealing with victims and their families were published in Australia, the UK and the EU. However, in the Middle East, there is no region-specific family assistance guidance for dealing with aircraft accidents. As such, operators tend to use plans which have been designed from a western perspective. This means that the impact of culture, ethical sensitivities and religion have not been addressed fully. This thesis explores the differences in dealing with the families of victims after an accident in the Middle East focusing on the Muslim population. Interviews were conducted with experts from airlines, family assistance providers, religious leaders and victim support groups. These were supplemented by a survey of passengers and family members in USA, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia to compare and contrast the expectations and needs of those who may be affected by an aircraft accident. Over 300 responses were received and the data were validated through further expert interviews. The results supported the findings of the literature review and matched with the bad experiences documented within case study accidents such as the mid-air collision involving Saudi Arabian Airlines flight 763. The study found that the three factors are inextricably linked, with religion being a strong factor in determining individual’s response to their loss; how they relate to others and the type of support they should be given. Suggestions are made regarding the design of a Family Assistance Centre, staff training, words that should / should not be used; and to explain how people may react.