Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine最新文献

{"title":"The mediating role of coping in the relationship between perceived health and psychological wellbeing in recurrent urinary tract infection: the rUTI Illness Process Model.","authors":"Abigail F Newlands, Melissa L Kramer, Kayleigh Maxwell, Jessica L Price, Katherine A Finlay","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2420806","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2420806","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) is associated with significant symptom and quality of life burden. Given the unique challenges in diagnostics and management, healthcare disillusionment and stigmatisation which distinguish rUTI from other urological conditions, specific identification of the key illness processes experienced by this patient population is required. This study aimed to identify the unique illness processes and perceptions that contribute to quality of life in rUTI, through perceived health status, psychological wellbeing, and coping. <b>Methods:</b> An international sample of adults living with rUTI (<i>N = </i>389, 96.9% female) completed a cross-sectional survey comprising the following standardised questionnaires: the EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L, Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10), Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS). Sociodemographic characteristics were also assessed. Structural equation modelling was conducted to identify the underlying constructs which contributed to psychological wellbeing in rUTI, establishing the 'rUTI Illness Process Model'. <b>Results:</b> The positive relationship between 'perceived health status' and 'psychological wellbeing' was partially mediated by 'rUTI coping', after controlling for the impact of household income and age (<i>p </i>< .001). The model demonstrated a large effect size (<i>R</i> ²= .81) and good local and global fit. Overall, rUTI coping skills, boosted by resilience and weakened by pain catastrophising, contribute to a significant proportion of the positive relationship between perceived health status and psychological wellbeing in rUTI. A uniquely vulnerable patient phenotype emerges from this new research, with patients who are younger and/or of lower socioeconomic status at greater risk of poorer rUTI health outcomes and psychological wellbeing, potentially requiring further support. <b>Conclusions:</b> The rUTI Illness Process Model establishes the crucial need to clinically characterise the individualised illness perceptions and metacognitive strategies held by people living with rUTI, revealing that patient-centred interventions targeting illness perceptions and coping strategies require prioritisation to enhance patient outcomes and the patient experience of living with rUTI.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2420806"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11536654/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142582423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cognitive emotional regulation in physiotherapy students in Croatia.","authors":"Manuela Filipec, Anica Kuzmić, Marina Ćurlin, Pavao Vlahek","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2419842","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2419842","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cognitive emotional regulation refers to a conscious or unconscious process that affects an individual's emotions and the physical and mental health of the individual. The aim of this study was to detect strategies of cognitive emotional regulation used by physiotherapy students in stressful situations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was conducted from January to March 2022 and enrolled 372 students. An announcement was posted electronically on the web page of each physiotherapy study in Croatia, inviting students to participate in the study. Each participant provided written informed consent. The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was used in the study for detecting cognitive emotional strategies that students use in stressful situations. Statistical analysis of data included descriptive statistics of data groups where values were expressed as mean and standard deviation. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the normality of the distribution. To test the differences between two independent groups, the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was applied, while the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test the differences of several subgroups of variables. Categorical variables were tested with Fischer's exact test or chi-square test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The most frequently used emotional cognitive regulation strategies are acceptance and positive reappraisal. There is a statistically significant difference in the use of self-blame (<i>p</i> < .001), rumination (<i>p</i> < .001) and blaming others (<i>p</i> = 0.018) in relation to gender. Also, there is a statistically significant difference in the use of acceptance (<i>p</i> = 0.022), rumination (<i>p</i> < .001) and blaming others (<i>p</i> = 0.049) in relation to the year of study.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Education of physiotherapy students to the use of adaptive strategies could have a positive effect on the students' learning quality, their decision-making abilities and the quality of physiotherapy provided to patients. Encouraging physiotherapy students to engage in cognitively adaptive ways of thinking can serve as a solid method to help students in an academic and professional environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2419842"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11514390/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142521749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Look, over there! A streaker! - Qualitative study examining streaking as a behaviour change technique for habit formation in recreational runners.","authors":"Meghan Curran, Nicholas Larade, Gözde Özakinci, Gabriela Tymowski-Gionet, Stephan U Dombrowski","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2416505","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2416505","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Running as a form of physical activity is beneficial to overall health and wellbeing. The aim of the study is to examine 'run streaking' (i.e. running on consecutive days, for a minimum period of time or distance, typically at least one mile) as a technique for habit formation and behaviour change.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 21 recreational adult runners (11 female and 10 male). Run streak length ranged from a minimum of 100 days to over 4500 days. Transcripts were analysed using a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Run streaking was reported to lead to several benefits, health improvements and a sense of accomplishment, although many run streakers reported running through injuries and lack of recovery. Accounts of run streaking showed features of automaticity indicative of habitual behaviour. Other behavioural processes identified included motivation, identity, self-regulation and social support. Behavioural streaking showed the potential to influence change in behaviours other than running.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Accounts of run streaking demonstrate an interplay between automatic and deliberate processes in the maintenance of running behaviour. Behavioural streaking is a technique that could be used in other behaviour change contexts beyond running to support habit formation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2416505"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11494719/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142499197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors influencing health-related quality of life of children with overweight and obesity in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.","authors":"Shazana Rifham Abdullah, Hoe Victor Chee Wai, Zahari Ishak, Siti Sarah Hamzah, Ahmad Kamil Nur Zati Iwani, Ruziana Mona Wan Mohd Zin, Abqariyah Yahya","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2413980","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2413980","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Overweight and obesity among children may have psychological consequences, with potentially lasting effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aims of this study were to compare HRQOL across weight status among children and to determine the factors influencing HRQOL among children with overweight and obesity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study involved school children aged 9-16 years that were recruited from eight randomly selected primary and secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur. The validated Malay version of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) was used to measure HRQOL. Complex sample general linear model was used to determine the significant factors associated with HRQOL among children with overweight and obesity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 928 students, 41.2% (n<i> </i>= 375) of them had either overweight or obesity. Children with obesity reported lower overall HRQOL, physical functioning, social functioning, and psychosocial health summary, compared to normal weight children. In the final model, children with obesity had significantly lower HRQOL and physical functioning compared to children who were overweight, while those who lived with a single parent reported poorer HRQOL compared to children who lived with both parents. Children with history of being bullied had lower HRQOL and psychosocial health. Whereas those with lower self-esteem reported significantly lower scores in all three domains.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Overweight and obesity have negative impacts on HRQOL of children. Among children with overweight and obesity, factors such as degree of obesity, family structure, history of being bullied, and self-esteem were found to be significantly associated with HRQOL. Therefore, assessing and managing HRQOL should be included as a part of the obesity prevention programme.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2413980"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11488170/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142463406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating post-ICU care: understanding family members' experiences - a qualitative study.","authors":"Matteo Danielis, Alessandro Garau, Dina Molaro, Sara Gentilini, Marika Rosset, Serena Giorgino, Federica Vuerich, Renzo Zanotti, Lorenza Entilli","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2415394","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2415394","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Comprehending and addressing the needs of caregivers during the post-intensive care unit (ICU) phase is vital for establishing sustainable support systems and improving the overall quality of life (QoL) for both patients and caregivers.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To explore the experiences of family members (FMs) caring for loved ones three-months after ICU discharge and their related QoL.</p><p><strong>Methods and measures: </strong>A qualitative, descriptive research was conducted. Participants were recruited from two general ICUs in an Italian Academic Hospital. Data collection lasted two months and was performed with telephonic interviews led by ICU nurses. Thematic analysis was conducted using a hybrid approach, incorporating both deductive and inductive coding strategies. This process has been facilitated by Atlas.ti software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-four FMs participated, representing a diverse range of familial relationships with the patients. Thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes: 1) QoL underwent transformations; 2) Positive emotions laden with significance; 3) Supporting role taken on by a caregiver; and 4) Life's transience through the meaning-making of the illness event. These themes highlighted the multifaceted nature of the caregiving experience.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides valuable insights into the challenges and dynamics faced by FMs following ICU discharge. Findings underscore the importance of addressing environmental challenges, cultivating positive emotions, and strengthening caregiver-patient relationships to enhance the caregiving experience and promote overall QoL. FMs can adapt their personal concepts and reach their full potential by learning to coexist with the demanding role of caregiver and achieve a new level of resilience and fulfillment.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2415394"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11485935/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142463407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supporting General Practitioners and people with hypertension to maximise medication use to control blood pressure: the contribution of Collective Intelligence to the development of the 'Maximising Adherence, Minimising Inertia' (MIAMI) intervention.","authors":"Eimear C Morrissey, Owen M Harney, Michael J Hogan, Patrick J Murphy, Louise O'Grady, Molly Byrne, Monica Casey, Sinead Duane, Hannah Durand, Peter Hayes, Caroline McDevitt, Denis Mockler, Martin Murphy, Patrick Towers, Andrew W Murphy, Gerard J Molloy","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2404038","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2404038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hypertension remains one of the most important modifiable risk factors for stroke and heart disease. Anti-hypertensive medications are effective, but are often not used to maximum benefit. Sub-optimal dosing by prescribers and challenges with medication-taking for patients remain barriers to effective blood pressure control.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We aimed to systematically develop a theory-based complex intervention to support General Practitioners (GPs) and people with hypertension to maximise medication use to control blood pressure.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used the three-phase Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) as the overarching intervention development framework. Collective Intelligence methodology was used to operationalise the stakeholder input to Phases 2 and 3 of the BCW. This took the form of a Collective Intelligence workshop with 19 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds including lived experience, general practice, nursing, pharmacy and health psychology. Techniques such as barrier identification, idea-writing and scenario-based design were used to generate possible intervention options. Intervention options were then selected and refined using the Acceptability, Practicability, Effectiveness, Affordability, Side-effects and Equity (APEASE) criteria and guidance from the MIAMI Public and Patient Involvement Panel.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The finalised MIAMI intervention consists of both GP and patient supports. GP supports include a 30-minute online training, information booklet and consultation guide (drop-down menu) embedded within the patient electronic health system. Patient supports include a pre-consultation plan, website, and a structured GP consultation with results from an Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor and urine chemical adherence test. The intervention components have been mapped to the intervention functions of the BCW and Behaviour Change Technique Ontology.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Collective Intelligence offered a novel method to operationalise stakeholder input to Phases 2 and 3 of the BCW. The MIAMI intervention is now at pilot evaluation stage.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2404038"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11418048/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142307525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coping strategies mediated the relationship between perceived stress and hair cortisol among socioeconomically marginalized parents.","authors":"Jiying Ling, Sisi Chen, Maya Marina","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2399211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2399211","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to (1) examine coping strategies and their relationship with demographics, perceived stress, and hair cortisol; and (2) explore whether coping partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and hair cortisol.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Baseline data from 191 socioeconomically marginalized parents enrolled in two community-based clinical trials were used. The IBM SPSS Statistics Version 27 and Mplus Version 8 were used for data analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Parents' engagement in various coping strategies differed by age, ethnicity, race, marital status, education level, and number of children living in the household. Parents' use of problem-focused (instrumental support, planning), emotion-focused (venting, self-blame), and avoidant coping (self-distraction, denial, behavioral disengagement) increased from having low to moderate stress. However, when perceived stress increased from moderate to high, their use of emotion-focused and avoidant coping increased significantly, but problem-focused coping did not. Emotion-focused coping lowered the influence of perceived stress on hair cortisol, while avoidant coping increased the relationship between perceived stress and hair cortisol.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although needing future investigation with longitudinal studies, the results suggest the need of promoting adaptive emotion-focused coping (emotional support, venting, and humor) to help socioeconomically marginalized parents manage their appraised overwhelming and uncontrollable stressors of food, house, and income insecurity.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2399211"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11382702/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142284548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Seattle Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Patient Project Database: observational, longitudinal, dyadic characterization of people with ALS and their partners.","authors":"Suzanne C Segerstrom, Edward J Kasarskis","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2396137","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2396137","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The median survival time in ALS is approximately 3 years, but survival times range from less than a year to more than 10 years and much variance in disease course remains to be explained. As is true for physical outcomes, there is considerable variance in QOL, which is influenced by psychological health, coping, and social support, among other psychosocial factors. The Seattle ALS Patient Project Database (SALSPPD) provides a unique opportunity for researchers to address established and novel hypotheses about disease progression and QOL in ALS.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The SALSPPD is a longitudinal dataset of people with ALS (<i>n</i> = 143) and their partners (spouses, significant others, or caregivers; <i>n</i> = 123) from clinics and community-based ALS support groups. Participants were interviewed in their homes every 3 months for up to 18 months between March 1987 and August 1989. Follow-up phone calls were completed in 1990, 1994, and 2008, primarily to ascertain disease outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The provided data dictionary includes details of the over 500 variables measured in the study, which have been subsetted into domain datasets. Domains address physical, psychological, social, and behavioral status on the person with ALS and their partners. Missing data were coded according to their mechanism. Data are available in two formats: The <i>person-level</i> (wide) databases and the <i>time-level</i> (long) databases.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The SALSPPD will provide a rich resource to scientists interested in the natural history of ALS, psychosocial effects on ALS outcomes and vice versa, and psychosocial and disease outcomes of treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2396137"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11376292/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142139880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Facilitators and barriers of technology adoption and social connectedness among rural older adults: a qualitative study.","authors":"Carina K Y Chan, Kayla Burton, Rebecca L Flower","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2398167","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2398167","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Social disconnection is a public health concern among rural Australian older adults. While research suggests technology can enhance social wellbeing and protect against social disconnection, many older adults are not digitally literate, and little is known as to why and how technology adoption could be promoted in rural contexts. This study aimed to (1) explore the barriers and facilitators of technology adoption among rural older adults and (2) determine the potential utility of technology to promote social connectedness in the aged population. The Theoretical Domains Framework and the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) were employed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the digital and social behaviours of rural Australian older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 33 rural older adults aged between 65 and 87 years. Interviews were conducted over the phone, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Interview transcripts were coded and analysed using thematic analysis and the BCW.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Numerous barriers and facilitators of technology adoption were identified, with the most prominent being knowledge, perceived value, perceived self-efficacy, and social support. Findings suggest that older adults' technology adoption is not simply a technical matter, but influenced by various individual, social, and environmental contexts. Consideration of these factors during development, marketing, training and implementation may facilitate technology adoption among older adults. With regard to social connectedness, several rural barriers emerged, including low population density, geographic isolation, limited community opportunities and poor public transport infrastructure.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Technology was consistently identified as a facilitator of the social experience, indicating that technology is a promising tool to enhance social connectedness among older adults, particularly those living in rural areas. Future research should focus on enhancing the capability, opportunity and motivation of older adults in technology adoption, with reference to the rural contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2398167"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11373358/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142132566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The interrelationship between women's help-seeking experiences for vaginismus and their sense of self: a qualitative study and abductive analysis.","authors":"Rashmi Pithavadian, Tinashe Dune, Jane Chalmers, Vijayasarathi Ramanathan","doi":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2396134","DOIUrl":"10.1080/21642850.2024.2396134","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>There is a lack of research on women's holistic experiences of vaginismus, also called sexual pain-penetration disorder, from their perspective. To address this gap, an abductive qualitative study aimed to examine women's help-seeking experiences for vaginismus, and its impact on their sense of self.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study was informed by a feminist approach to the theory of self focused on participants' negotiation of dis/empowerment when help-seeking for vaginismus. Twenty-one participants aged 19-37 years (mean 27.6 years) and diagnosed with vaginismus in Australia participated in semi-structured interviews, which were thematically analysed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three themes were developed: <i>Interconnected constructions of womanhood and help-seeking</i>, <i>Elicit agency to move forward</i>, <i>Resilience to surmount challenges</i> with subthemes. Participant's overall help-seeking experiences, within and outside the healthcare system, shaped their sense of self in ways that drove their approach/es to future help-seeking behaviours.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Positive help-seeking experiences for vaginismus strengthened participants' sense of self to persevere with treatment even when it was difficult. Conversely, negative help-seeking experiences led to participants' weakened sense of self which was often caused by a gap between their ideal and perceived self. This led to negative feelings and responses of demotivation or halting subsequent help-seeking. Recommendations are provided to improve health professional practice to support women help-seeking for vaginismus, and to help close the gap between their ideal and perceived selves. Such insight can help to empower women's sense of self and motivate them to persevere with help-seeking to experience improvement for their vaginismus and quality of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":12891,"journal":{"name":"Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine","volume":"12 1","pages":"2396134"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11370689/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142125515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}