Exploring health-related quality of life, exercise and alcohol use in adolescents with sickle cell disease and healthy siblings.

Objective: This study explored the health-related quality of life (HRQL) and health behaviours of adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) and healthy siblings, drawing on Gap theory which suggests HRQL is the discrepancy between current and ideal selves.

Design: Twenty-three adolescents with SCD and 21 healthy siblings aged 13 to 17 years participated in eight focus groups.

Results: Thematic analysis identified three themes: learning to accept SCD, coping with SCD and influences on health behaviours.

A qualitative exploration of health-related quality of life and health behaviours in children with sickle cell disease and healthy siblings.

Objectives: This study explored the health-related quality of life (HRQL) and health behaviours of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and healthy siblings, drawing on Gap theory, which suggests HRQL is the discrepancy between current and ideal selves.

Design: Thirty-two interviews, facilitated by children's drawings of their current and ideal selves were thematically analysed.

Results: Two themes were identified.

Transition to parenthood after successful non-donor in vitro fertilisation: The effects of infertility and in vitro fertilisation on previously infertile couples' experiences of early parenthood.

Recent social science research in the field of parenting following assisted conception has focused on the experiences of donor-assisted conception and surrogacy. This article draws from a study which explored the experiences of the transition to early parenthood in 16 heterosexual non-donor couples and includes a specific consideration of the experiences of men as they navigate this journey. We argue that these couples' transition to early parenthood can be as complex and provisional as in other newer forms of family making as they struggle with an emerging identity as a parent after successful non-donor in vitro fertilisation following their experiences of infertility.

Experiences of involuntary childlessness and treatment in the UK: what has changed in 20 years?

This study examined the financial, emotional and relationship impacts of involuntary childlessness and treatment, and the satisfaction with support from professionals. 796 participants in the UK completed an online survey based on a similar survey conducted in 1997. 55% of participants had to pay for at least part of their treatment.

Does working memory training improve dietary self-care in type 2 diabetes mellitus? Results of a double blind randomised controlled trial.

Aims: Controlling food intake despite adequate knowledge remains a struggle for many people with type 2 diabetes. The present study investigated whether working memory training can reduce food intake and improve glycaemic control. It also examined training effects on cognition, food cravings, and dietary self-efficacy and self-care.

Experiences and psychological distress of fertility treatment and employment.

This study examined experiences and psychological distress about fertility treatment in people combining work and treatment. Five hundred and sixty-three participants in the UK completed an online survey asking about difficulties in combining work and treatment; workplace disclosure, support, absence and policy; and psychological distress about treatment. Absence from work and perceptions that treatment has an impact on work and career prospects were reported by the majority of participants and this was related to the psychological distress of treatment.

Depression and state anxiety scores during assisted reproductive treatment are associated with outcome: a meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis investigated whether state anxiety and depression scores during assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment and changes in state anxiety and depression scores between baseline and during ART treatment are associated with treatment outcome. PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and Scopus were searched and meta-analytic data analysed using random effects models to estimate standardized mean differences. Eleven studies (2202 patients) were included.

Secrets and disclosure in donor conception.

This article considers the disclosure, sharing and exchange of information on being donor conceived within families, drawing on data from a study undertaken with donor-conceived adults registered with UK Donor Link (a voluntary DNA-linking register). This paper considers the narratives of how respondents found out they were donor-conceived and what events triggered disclosure of this information. This paper then goes on to examine the role secrecy played in their family life and uses the concept of 'display' to explore how secrecy affected their relationships with their immediate and extended family.

Gamete donors' reasons for, and expectations and experiences of, registration with a voluntary donor linking register.

This paper reports on a study of the views and experiences of 21 sperm donors and five egg donors registered with UK DonorLink (UKDL), a voluntary DNA-based contact register established to facilitate contact between adults who wish to identify and locate others to whom they are genetically related following donor conception. Specifically, the paper examines donors' reasons for searching for, or making information about themselves available to donor-conceived offspring. Their expectations of registration with UKDL, experiences of being registered and finally, the experiences of those who had contacted donor-conceived offspring and other genetic relatives are investigated.

The role of working memory sub-components in food choice and dieting success.

Evidence suggests a role for self-reported working memory (WM) in self-reported food intake, but it is not known which WM sub-components are involved. It is also important to consider how individual differences in dietary restraint and disinhibition influence WM and the impact of this on food choice. The current study assessed the relationship between WM sub-components and food choice, using computerised measures of WM sub-components and a direct assessment of food intake.

Maternal psychosocial consequences of twins and multiple births following assisted and natural conception: a meta-analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis is to provide new evidence on the effects on maternal health of multiple births due to assisted reproductive technology (ART). A bibliographic search was undertaken using PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Science Direct. Data extraction was completed using Cochrane Review recommendations, and the review was performed following PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines.

Posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic stress disorder after termination of pregnancy and reproductive loss: a systematic review.

Objective: The aims of this systematic review were to integrate the research on posttraumatic stress (PTS) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after termination of pregnancy (TOP), miscarriage, perinatal death, stillbirth, neonatal death, and failed in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Methods: Electronic databases (AMED, British Nursing Index, CINAHL, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, PubMEd, ScienceDirect) were searched for articles using PRISMA guidelines.

Results: Data from 48 studies were included.

Persian couples' experiences of depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in the pre- and perinatal period.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of changes in depressive symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in couples. This was examined before, during and after the pregnancy. In addition, (HRQoL) was examined in relation to the mode of delivery.

For your eyes only: bio-behavioural and psycho-social research priorities.

Infertility is experienced as a deeply personal and private condition, which has been investigated across disciplines, from psycho-social to bio-behavioural (van den Akker, 2012). This is undoubtedly, in part, because the interactions between the biological-behavioural axis and psychological-social axis have been linked to aetiological and treatment factors and to the consequences of infertility. Recent data from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA, 2012) show that medically assisted reproduction (MAR) for infertility is continuing to increase, with 46,000 women in the UK seeking treatment in 2010 alone.

Completing the surrogate motherhood process: parental order reporters' attitudes towards surrogacy arrangements, role ambiguity and role conflict.

This study investigated the attitudes of parental order reporters (PORs) towards their work with surrogacy arrangements and their experiences of role conflict and role ambiguity. A questionnaire was used to assess PORs' perceptions of their role in parental order [PO] applications, attitudes towards surrogacy arrangements and the legal process and the influence of role ambiguity or conflict. Questionnaires were distributed to all PORs employed by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in England.

Attitudes and intention to donate oocytes for research.

Objective: In 2007, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority permitted oocyte donation for research through voluntary donation or within an oocyte share model. The aims of this study were to investigate volunteer (nonpatient) women's attitudes and intentions to donate using components of the Theory of Planned Behavior and their attitudes toward parenthood through structural equation modeling.

Design: Questionnaires.

eHealth as a challenge to 'expert' power: a focus group study of internet use for health information and management.

Objective: To investigate current use of the internet and eHealth amongst adults.

Design: Focus groups were conducted to explore participants' attitudes to and reasons for health internet use.

Main Outcome Measures: The focus group data were analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis.

Psychological trait and state characteristics, social support and attitudes to the surrogate pregnancy and baby.

Background: Personality differences between surrogate mothers (SMs) who gestate and relinquish and intended mothers (IMs) who commission a genetically related or unrelated baby have been unexplored in the UK. Furthermore, the psychological effects of the arrangement have not been determined in a prospective longitudinal study, making this the first quantitative report of psychological functioning in SMs and IMs.

Methods: SMs and IMs (n = 81: 61 surrogate, 20 intended) undergoing genetic or gestational surrogacy (4 groups) were assessed by postal questionnaire during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

The socio-cultural and biological meaning of parenthood.

Parenting a child is one of the most universal, common and fundamental assumptions the majority of men and women make from an early age about their future. This common and historic assumption was challenged in modernized Western societies in the 1960s with the opportunities for 'mass control' of reproduction and then again supported in the 1980s with the advance of 'mass enhancement' of reproduction. This study qualitatively assessed the meaning of parenthood of post modern British individuals of different ages, gender, cultural backgrounds and parity.

Psychosocial aspects of surrogate motherhood.

This review addresses the psychosocial research carried out on surrogacy triads (surrogate mothers, commissioning mothers and offspring) and shows that research has focused on a number of specific issues: attachment and disclosure to surrogate offspring; experiences, characteristics and motivations of surrogate mothers; and changes in profiles of the commissioning/intended mothers. Virtually all studies have used highly selected samples making generalizations difficult. There have been a notable lack of theory, no interventions and only a handful of longitudinal studies or studies comparing different populations.

A longitudinal pre-pregnancy to post-delivery comparison of genetic and gestational surrogate and intended mothers: confidence and genealogy.

For women opting to use surrogacy to overcome subfertility, a choice can be made to have a genetically related or unrelated baby. Similarly, women opting to become surrogate mothers also have to choose to gestate and relinquish a genetically related or unrelated baby. This study explored the cognitions behind the initial choices made and determined the strength of those cognitions six months post-delivery of the surrogate baby.

A review of family donor constructs: current research and future directions.

This review addresses research on gamete donors, recipients, and offspring and demonstrates that the foci on all three within the triad are largely directed at disclosure or anonymity; and each in turn centers on the perceived importance of the genetic link. The importance attached to genetics has led some countries to review the ethics of anonymous gamete donation (e.g.

Coping, quality of life and psychological symptoms in three groups of sub-fertile women.

The process of assisted reproductive technology (ART), surrogacy and adoption pose different physical and psychological burdens on sub-fertile populations. Sub-fertile women (n = 176) were assessed retrospectively by questionnaire to determine if process (undergoing ART, surrogacy or adoption) or outcome (having a successful versus unsuccessful outcome) affected quality of life, coping style and psychological symptoms. The ART group was significantly younger, had a shorter period of sub-fertility, and was least likely to have a child than the adoptive and surrogate groups.

Functions and responsibilities of organizations dealing with surrogate motherhood in the UK.

The separation of maternity from social motherhood and progress in reproductive technology raise many social, psychological, medical and legal issues (van den Akker, 1994). The most recent British Medical Association report (BMA, 1996) acknowledged the practice of surrogacy and issued new guidelines for good practice and support for those involved. Surrogate motherhood services have increased around the country over the last decade, even before the formal British Medical Association acknowledgement of their necessity and existence (BMA, 1996).