The psychosocial well-being of parents of children with cerebral palsy: a comparison study.

Purpose: Parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP) may be at risk from poor psychosocial well-being, compared with parents of children without a long-term health condition (LTHC). However, research has produced some conflicting findings on the topic and no comparison studies have been conducted in the UK. Furthermore, studies have only used measures of negative psychosocial well-being.

Experiences of diagnosis and treatment among people with multiple sclerosis.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: The aim of this qualitative study was to examine patients' experiences of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), the information that they were given at this time, subsequent treatment and its impact on their lives.

Method: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 people with MS. The use of interviews allowed participants' experiences to be explored in depth.

The effectiveness of the Training and Support Program for parents of children with disabilities: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The Training and Support Program (TSP) was designed to equip parents of children with disabilities with a simple massage skill for use with their children in the home environment. The effectiveness of the TSP was examined in a randomized controlled trial with a wait-list control group.

Methods: Parents were trained in massage by suitably qualified therapists in eight weekly sessions, each lasting 1 h.

Living with haemophilia and von Willebrand's: a descriptive qualitative study.

Objective: The aim of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe the experience of living with bleeding disorders and to identify the associated salient issues from the perspectives of people living with haemophilia or von Willebrand's Disease (vWD).

Methods: Nine members of The Haemophilia Society took part in a semi-structured interview. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed and the results subjected to thematic content analysis.

Living with late deafness: insight from between worlds.

The psychosocial impact of 'late' deafness in adults has received little research attention. The aim of this study was to examine the views of people with experience of late deafness living in the UK. Eight participants (six male; age range 33 to 60) were interviewed by a researcher who had undergone appropriate communication skills training.

An exploratory, descriptive study of women's experiences of hospital admission during pre-term labor.

Background: Rarely have women's experiences of admission to hospital during pre-term labor (PTL) been described from their own perspective. This study aimed to address this issue using qualitative methods.

Methods: The views of 8 women admitted to hospital with PTL were obtained through semi-structured interviews.

Exploring a massage intervention for parents and their children with autism: the implications for bonding and attachment.

This exploratory study aimed to address two questions: (1) What does touch mean between parents and their children with autism on completion of a massage intervention? (2) Do parents feel that their relationship with their children has changed on completion of a massage intervention? Fourteen parents agreed to be interviewed. Data were collected before the massage intervention (baseline), immediately after the massage intervention and 16 weeks from baseline and were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. At baseline, parents felt distressed that they felt unable to get 'close' to their children.

Self-management training for people with chronic disease: a shared learning experience.

The lay-led, Chronic Disease Self-Management Course (CDSMC) is designed to train people in self-management. The present study focused on the experiences of a group of participants attending the CDSMC. Data were collected via interviews with nine participants four months and twelve months after attending the CDSMC.

Positive touch, the implications for parents and their children with autism: an exploratory study.

The aims of this study were (1) to explore the experience of touch between parents and children with autism before, during, and after a Training and Support Programme (TSP), and (2) to develop a model of the process of touch therapy for this group of parents and children. Fourteen parents and their children agreed to take part in the study. Five of these parents withdrew.

A training and support programme for caregivers of children with disabilities: an exploratory study.

Our aim was to conduct an exploratory evaluation of an intervention designed to equip caregivers with simple massage skills that they could use with their children in the home. The sample comprised 82 parents and 82 children with disabilities. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires at two points in time: baseline, and immediately post-programme (after 8 weeks).

"I never realised how little I knew!": a pilot study of osteoporosis knowledge, beliefs, and behaviours.

The aim of this study is to examine knowledge of osteoporosis (OP), health behaviours, and health beliefs among a sample of women in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom (N = 163; mean age = 40 years). The study was cross sectional, and data were collected by self-administered questionnaires. Although women were fairly knowledgeable about some aspects of OP, gaps in knowledge were identified in relation to hereditary links, bone density scans, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), vitamin D, and specific exercise.