Effects of a multidisciplinary group rehabilitation programme on participation of the visually impaired elderly: a pilot study.

Purpose: To pilot test the newly developed multidisciplinary group rehabilitation programme Visually Impaired elderly Persons Participating (VIPP).

Method: A single group pretest-posttest design pilot study included 29 visually impaired persons (≥ 55 years). The intervention (20 weekly meetings) consisted of four components (practical training; education, social interaction, counselling and training of problem-solving skills; individual and group goal setting; home-based exercise programme).

Determinants of social participation of visually impaired older adults.

Purpose: To assess determinants of social participation among visually impaired older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included visually impaired persons (≥55 years; n = 173) who were referred to a low-vision rehabilitation center. Determinants (i.

Loneliness and self-management abilities in the visually impaired elderly.

Objective: To describe the degree of loneliness among the visually impaired elderly and to make a comparison with a matched reference group of the normally sighted elderly. In addition, we examined self-management abilities (SMAs) as determinants of loneliness among the visually impaired elderly.

Method: In a cross-sectional study, 173 visually impaired elderly persons completed telephone interviews.

Participation of the elderly after vision loss.

Purpose: To assess the degree of participation of the visually impaired elderly and to make a comparison with population-based reference data.

Method: This cross-sectional study included visually impaired elderly persons (≥55 years; n = 173) who were referred to a low-vision rehabilitation centre. Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) participation in: (1) domestic life, (2) interpersonal interactions and relationships, (3) major life areas, and (4) community, social and civic life was assessed by means of telephone interviews.

Psychosocial dysfunction in the first year after Guillain-Barré syndrome.

In this investigation we study the impact of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) on psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and health status of patients during the first year after GBS. At 3, 6, and 12 months, patients were given the General Health Questionnaire, the Sickness Impact Profile, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Eighty-five patients participated.

Predictors of functional disability in rheumatoid arthritis: results from a 13-year prospective study.

Purpose: To explore the role of distress and social support as modifiers of functional disability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We hypothesized that: (a) higher inflammatory activity, more joint tenderness and more pain lead to more disability, and (b) that more distress and less social support lead to more disability and accelerate the disablement process by moderating the effects of inflammatory activity, joint tenderness and pain.

Methods: The study is a Dutch extension of the European Research on Incapacitating Diseases and Social Support (EURIDISS) which started with 292 patients.

Amputation, phantom pain and subjective well-being: a qualitative study.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of an amputation and of phantom pain on the subjective well-being of amputees. Sixteen lower-limb amputees were interviewed. A semi-structured interview and two Visual Analogue Scales were used.

Disability, social support, and distress in rheumatoid arthritis: results from a thirteen-year prospective study.

Objective: To examine the strength and stability of the relationships between disease-related factors (joint tenderness, pain, and functional disability), social support, and distress over time, and to investigate to what extent disease-related factors and social support can predict distress in short-term and long-term rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: The study was a Dutch extension of the European Research on Incapacitating Diseases and Social Support and started with 292 patients. After 5 waves of data collection, 129 patients remained.

The effects of Guillain-Barré syndrome on the close relatives of patients during the first year.

Objective: To study the impact of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) on the psychosocial functioning of the closest relative and on family functioning during the first year after GBS.

Method: At 1 (=T1), 3 (=T3), 6 (=T6), and 12 months (=T12) after the onset of GBS, relatives of patients received the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28) and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Sixty-three relatives returned the GHQ28 at all four designated intervals.

Contribution of partner support in self-management of rheumatoid arthritis patients. An application of the theory of planned behavior.

The aim of this exploratory study was to test the applicability of a model derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior on self-management. In this model social support from the partner, attitude and self-efficacy are determinants of intention, and intention and self-efficacy are determinants of self-management. We tested the model on rheumatoid arthritis patients who have a partner, using regression analyses and structural equation models.

How Guillain-Barre patients experience their functioning after 1 year.

Objective: To analyze how the patient himself perceives his physical and social situation 1 year after Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS).

Material And Method: The Dutch patients who participated in an international multicenter trial were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire containing questions on their physical status at homecoming and at 12 months, as well as questions dealing with various aspects of their social condition.

Results: Ninety patients participated.