A qualitative study exploring the perceptions of health among pre-teen girls from disadvantaged communities in Dublin.

There are disparities in health outcomes between youth from higher and lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and girls are especially vulnerable to changes in health-related behaviours as they develop. Therefore, this study explored how girls from disadvantaged communities in Dublin, Ireland, make sense of 'being healthy.' A phenomenological qualitative design was implemented.

The burden and impact of recurrent abdominal pain - exploring the understanding and perception of children and their parents.

Recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) is a common complaint for children and can result in a significantly lower quality of life due to the extent it can interfere with normal life. RAP can also significantly impact the quality of life of parents. This study sought to qualitatively explore parents' and children's understanding and perceptions of the burden and impact of RAP.

Living through liminality? Situating the transitional experience of parents of children with mucopolysaccharidoses.

Background: Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are rare inherited metabolic disorders that come under category three of life-limiting conditions. Children born with this condition show no symptoms at birth, but its effects show as a progressive disease in subsequent years. The severity of the condition varies according to the specific type, ranging from very mild symptoms to, in most cases, complex healthcare needs, including mental and physical disabilities.

IMPACT study: measuring the impact of caregiving on families and healthcare professionals of children and adults living with mucopolysaccharidoses in Ireland.

Introduction: Disease trajectories are often uncertain among individuals living with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) due to the progressive nature of the illness and the goal of care. This study investigated the impact on caregivers and care providers of children and adults living with MPS.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design and a convenience sampling strategy which involved two sequential study components.

Rare Disease Research Partnership (RAinDRoP): a collaborative approach to identify research priorities for rare diseases in Ireland.

Rare diseases are individually rare, but collectively these conditions are common. Research on rare diseases are currently focused on disease-specific needs rather than a life-course perspective. The Rare Disease Research Partnership (RAinDRoP) was established in 2018 to bring together a wide variety of diverse voices in the rare disease community in Ireland and form a research partnership.

A network analysis of the causal attributions for obesity in children and adolescents and their parents.

Illness attributions inform how people understand illness and relate to psychological outcomes. Parental attributions may impact children's adjustment to illness. This study investigated child, adolescent and parental causal attributions in paediatric obesity and illustrates the relationships between these attributions using network analysis.

European adolescent substance use: the roles of family structure, function and gender.

Objectives: The aim of this study was, first, to explore family structure and measures of family functioning in relation to adolescent substance use and secondly, to establish if these relationships differed according to gender or according to the city of origin of the sample.

Design, Setting, Participants: The study surveyed pupils aged 14-15 years in representative samples drawn from five European cities: Newcastle upon Tyne, Dublin, Rome, Bremen and Groningen. Data were obtained on 3984 participants in relation to their substance use, living with both biological parents, confiding in parents and grandparents.