Managing cancer and living meaningfully (CALM): Implementation in Dutch cancer care.

Objective: Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) is a brief, evidence-based psychotherapy tailored for patients with advanced cancer that has not yet been implemented routinely in Dutch cancer care. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, sustainability and effectiveness of CALM in different clinical settings in the Netherlands.

Methods: In 2019 and 2020 a multi-center, intervention-only study was performed in three Dutch cancer care settings.

Implementation of 'IBD-Specific Cognitive Behavioural Therapy' for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases with Poor Mental Quality of Life, Anxiety and Depression.

This paper describes the implementation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-specific cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for IBD patients with poor quality of life (QoL), anxiety and depression, in four hospitals in the Netherlands. Treatment outcomes were compared with those of a previously published randomized control trial (RCT) of 'IBD-specific CBT', following a benchmark strategy. Primary outcome was IBD-specific QoL (IBDQ) completed before and after CBT, secondary outcomes were anxiety and depressive symptoms (HADS, CES-D).

Feasibility of Mindfulness for Burn Survivors and Parents of Children with Burns.

Burn survivors, spouses, and parents of children with burns may experience psychological distress for a prolonged period. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an intervention that can improve psychological well-being. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an MBSR group intervention in a convenience sample.

The potential buffering role of self-efficacy and pain acceptance against invalidation in rheumatic diseases.

A substantial amount of people with a rheumatic disease perceive invalidation consisting of lack of understanding and discounting (negative social responses). To get insight into the potential buffering role of self-efficacy and pain acceptance against invalidation, this cross-sectional study examined associations between these variables. Spanish speaking people (N = 1153, 91% female, mean age 45 ± 11 years) with one or multiple rheumatic diseases completed online the Illness Invalidation Inventory, the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, and the Chronic Disease Self-Efficacy Scale.

Invalidation in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases: Clinical and Psychological Framework.

Objective: The term "invalidation" refers to the patients' perception that their medical condition is not recognized by the social environment. Invalidation can be a major issue in patients' lives, adding a significant burden to symptoms and limitations while increasing the risk of physical and psychological disability. In this study in patients with rheumatic diseases, we investigated the relationship between invalidation and sociodemographic, clinical, psychological, and personality characteristics.

Patients' perspectives on quality of life after burn.

Background: The concept quality of life (QOL) refers to both health-related outcomes and one's skills to reach these outcomes, which is not yet incorporated in the burn-related QOL conceptualisation. The aim of this study was to obtain a comprehensive overview of relevant burn-specific domains of QOL from the patient's perspective and to determine its hierarchical structure.

Methods: Concept mapping was used comprising a focus group (n=6), interviews (n=25), and a card-sorting task (n=24) in burn survivors.

Prevalence and relevance of Type D personality in fibromyalgia.

Objective: Distressed (Type D) personality, combining high negative affectivity and social inhibition, is linked to poor health in various populations. Because patients with fibromyalgia experience high negative affect and show signs of social inhibition, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of Type D's components and their associations with health in an additive (worse health with both components present) or synergistic way (components amplifying each other's effects).

Method: Type D personality and physical and mental health were assessed online by 558 patients with self-reported fibromyalgia (94% women, age 47 ± 11 (21-77)years) by the Type D Scale-14 and RAND-36 Health Status Inventory.

The prevalence of severe fatigue in rheumatic diseases: an international study.

Fatigue is a common, disabling, and difficult-to-manage problem in rheumatic diseases. Prevalence estimates of fatigue within rheumatic diseases vary considerably. Data on the prevalence of severe fatigue across multiple rheumatic diseases using a similar instrument is missing.

Measurement invariance of the Illness Invalidation Inventory (3*I) across language, rheumatic disease and gender.

Objectives: The Illness Invalidation Inventory (3*I) assesses patients' perception of responses of others that are perceived as denying, lecturing, not supporting and not acknowledging the condition of the patient. It includes two factors: 'discounting' and 'lack of understanding'. In order to use the 3*I to compare and pool scores across groups and countries, the questionnaire must have measurement invariance; that is, it should measure identical concepts with the same factor structure across groups.

Definition and structure of body-relatedness from the perspective of patients with severe somatoform disorder and their therapists.

Background: How a patient is connected with one's body is core to rehabilitation of somatoform disorder but a common model to describe body-relatedness is missing. The aim of our study was to investigate the components and hierarchical structure of body-relatedness as perceived by patients with severe somatoform disorder and their therapists.

Methods: Interviews with patients and therapists yielded statements about components of body-relatedness.

Social support and invalidation by others contribute uniquely to the understanding of physical and mental health of patients with rheumatic diseases.

This study examined whether social support and invalidation (lack of understanding and discounting by others) are differently associated with physical and mental health. Participants were 1455 patients with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, osteorarthritis, or another rheumatic disease. Participants completed online questionnaires.

Loneliness in patients with rheumatic diseases: the significance of invalidation and lack of social support.

Rheumatic diseases affect about 20% of the population, leading to common symptoms such as joint problems, pain, fatigue, and stiffness. Loneliness is prevalent in individuals with rheumatic diseases. This could be due to not receiving social support and being stigmatized and invalidated, which might be most common in fibromyalgia, a rheumatic disease that lacks medical evidence.

A combination of illness invalidation from the work environment and helplessness is associated with embitterment in patients with FM.

Objectives: The aim of this study in employed people with FM was to test the hypothesis that embitterment is a function of the joint experience of invalidation from the work environment and helplessness regarding one's illness.

Methods: Sixty-four full-time (36%) or part-time (64%) employed patients with FM (60 females, mean age 45 years) completed the Illness Invalidation Inventory (3*I) to assess work-related discounting and lack of understanding, the Illness Cognition Questionnaire (ICQ) to assess helplessness and the Bern Embitterment Inventory (BEI) to assess embitterment. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed.

Characteristics of suitable work from the perspective of patients with fibromyalgia.

Objectives: The evaluation of work ability of patients with FM is difficult. Our aim was to investigate the characteristics of suitable work from the perspective of patients with FM.

Methods: Interviews with patients yielded statements about characteristics of suitable work.

Understanding the lack of understanding: invalidation from the perspective of the patient with fibromyalgia.

Objective: Patients with fibromyalgia have difficulty with the invisibility and medically unexplained character of the syndrome. Disbelief, lack of acceptance, and stigmatization by their spouse, family, colleagues, the health care system, and society are key issues in their lives. Nevertheless, the components of this phenomenon that we term "invalidation" are not clear.

Low relationship satisfaction and high partner involvement predict sexual problems of women with fibromyalgia.

To examine the predictive potential of relationship variables on sexual functioning in women with fibromyalgia, we instructed 63 women (age 21-54 years) to fill out several questionnaires. Low relationship satisfaction was the strongest and most-frequent predictor of problematic sexual functioning. In addition, more fatigue and--only after taking account of relationship satisfaction--more active engagement (i.