engleski

Characteristics of orthopaedic status and their impact on the quality of the psychosocial functioning of persons with haemophilia

Research on the relationship between (poor) body conditions of persons with various physical disabilities and their psychosocial functioning are not always unambiguous. While on the one hand, research shows a negative correlation between the degree of disability and the mentioned areas, the other refers to the so-called “Disability paradox, ” or high quality of life despite the poor state of the body. Therefore, we wanted to investigate the nature the relationship between quality orthopaedic status and psychosocial functioning of persons with haemophilia. An empirical survey among adults with haemophilia was conducted in Croatia (N=135). To determine orthopaedic status we used: the Scale of bleeding frequency in individual joints (elbow, knee, ankle) ; the Scale of damage levels of each joint ; the Scale of pain frequency, the Scale of average pain intensity and the Scale of physical mobility. The quality of psychosocial functioning was measured by using: the Life Satisfaction Scale ; Emotional Functioning Scale ; Mental Health Scale ; and the Relationships and Social Activity Scale. We also used a variety of socio-demographic variables. The results show a significant correlation of all analyzed orthopaedic status domains with psychosocial functioning. Frequent bleeding in joints, greater damage to joints, greater problems with mobility and frequent and intense pain were negatively correlated with Emotional Functioning, Mental Health, Relationships & Social Activity and Life Satisfaction. It is interesting to note that the worst results (in all forms of psychosocial functioning) were obtained from respondents who were between 40 and 50 years old. The results, among other things, show that the poor orthopaedic status of haemophilia patients is not only an indication of major problems with regard to physical functioning, but that this greatly impacts other domains of human life. Therefore, to preserve the quality of psychosocial functioning, it is extremely important to receive quality medical care to ensure health of the musculoskeletal system. Moreover, the implementation of counselling for patients about the easiest ways of coping with these problems is also necessary.

Psychosocial; hemophilia; quality of life

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