What makes the difference in people's lives when they have a mental disorder?

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify which environmental factors are the most responsible for the disability experienced by persons with mental disorders and whether they differ (1) from those in cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory conditions, diabetes, and cancer, and (2) depending on the capacity level-a proxy for the impact of health conditions on the health state of individuals.

Methods: Nationally representative data from 12,265 adults in Chile collected in 2015 with the WHO Model Disability Survey was analyzed.

Results: The availability of personal assistance, frequency of receiving personal assistance, and assistive devices for mobility were the most important environmental factors across mental and other non-communicable diseases.

Setting up a cohort study of functioning: From classification to measurement.

Objective: Cohort studies are an appropriate method for the collection of population-based longitudinal data to track people's health and functioning over time. However, describing and understanding functioning in its complexity with all its determinants is one of the biggest challenges faced by clinicians and researchers.

Design: This paper focuses on the development of a cohort study on functioning, outlining the relevant steps and related methods, and illustrating these with reference to the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI).

A systematic literature review of outcome measures for upper extremity function using the international classification of functioning, disability, and health as reference.

Objective: To provide information regarding the (1) responsiveness and reliability of different outcome measures used with persons who have impairments in upper extremity function and (2) their content validity based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).

Data Sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases were systematically searched for studies on outcome measures used to evaluate upper extremity function; only studies written in English and published between July 1997 and July 2010 were considered.

Study Selection: One investigator reviewed titles and abstracts of the identified studies to determine whether the studies met predefined eligibility criteria (eg, study design, age <18 years).

Visual perception and appraisal of persons with impairments: a randomised controlled field experiment using photo elicitation.

Purpose: Visual cues from persons with impairments may trigger stereotypical generalisations that lead to prejudice and discrimination. The main objective of this pilot study is to examine whether visual stimuli of impairment activate latent prejudice against disability and whether this connection can be counteracted with priming strategies.

Methods: In a field experiment, participants were asked to rate photographs showing models with mental impairments, wheelchair users with paraplegia, and persons without any visible impairment.