Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects patients' quality of life and requires long term demanding care. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between patients and caregivers' variables regarding patients' quality of life, the moderating role of marital satisfaction between patients' psychological morbidity and quality of life, and the contribution of patient and caregiver variables towards patients' quality of life. Methods: The sample included 100 patients with MS and 72 caregivers. Participants' variables were assessed using self-report measures. The design of this quantitative study was transversal. Results: Marital satisfaction moderated the relationship between patients' anxiety and mental quality of life. Patients' perception of illness identity and consequences together with caregivers' depressive symptoms were mediators between patients' depression and quality of life. Burden also played a mediator role in the relationship between patients' depressive symptoms, disability level, and physical quality of life. Conclusion: Therefore, intervention in multiple sclerosis should be delivered in a dyadic context.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experience chronic symptoms that negatively impact their quality of life (QoL). This study analyzed the variables that contributed to QoL in patients with SLE, including the mediating role of psychological morbidity and disease activity. This study used a transversal design and included 104 women with SLE. Participants answered several instruments assessing fatigue, psychological morbidity (depression and anxiety), body image, disease activity, and quality of life. The results showed that disease activity, fatigue severity, psychological morbidity and body image were associated with all domains of QoL. Additionally, psychological morbidity and disease activity mediated the relationship between body image and psychological morbidity. Also, disease activity mediated the relationship between body image and fatigue severity. According to the results, intervention in patients with SLE should focus on patients' psychological morbidity, particularly in the active phase of the disease. Body image, fatigue severity and psychological morbidity should be monitored in patients with SLE in order to promote QoL.

This study evaluates the contribution of sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological variables to quality of life (QoL) of women with cervical cancer in the follow-up phase. This cross-sectional study, conducted at the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Lisbon, included 200 women with cervical cancer during follow-up. Patients were assessed on QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), body image and specific symptoms (EORTC QLQ-CX24), psychological morbidity (HADS), social support (SSSS), emotional expression (CECS), and spirituality (SpREUK). Education and social support contributed positively to QoL, whereas body image and symptoms contributed negatively. Body image played a moderating role in the relationship between depression and QoL, but not between anxiety and QoL. Spirituality and emotional expression did not moderate the relationship between anxiety/depression and QoL. Health professionals should reference and monitor women with cervical cancer, providing support at the diagnosis and follow-up phase since physical and psychological symptoms, resulting from the disease, remain after the end of treatment and contribute negatively to their QoL. Interventions should focus on these particular outcomes to promote patients' QoL.

The present study is a systematic review of factors and consequences of parental distress following their children's acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosis. PubMed, Web of Science, and APA PsycInfo databases were searched. Twenty-eight papers were included, with only three longitudinal studies. Fifteen studies explored factors of parental distress, including sociodemographic, psychosocial, psychological, family, health, and ALL-specific variables. Correlations were found between social support, illness cognitions, coping strategies, and parental distress, as well as contradictory results regarding sociodemographic variables. Family cohesion and the overall impact of illness were associated with parental distress. Resilience factors contributed negatively to parental distress symptoms, and perceived caregiver strain and negative child's emotional functioning contributed positively. Thirteen papers explored the consequences of parental distress, including psychological, family, health, and social/education factors. Distress was correlated with care burden and contributed to family strain, child's symptom burden, and parental protective behavior. Significant correlations were found between parental distress, at diagnosis, and further adjustment of parents and children. Most papers reported correlations between parental distress and psychological condition and quality of life; few studies reported no association. Correlations between maternal depression and child's participation in education and social life were found. Differences on distress were found regarding parents' gender, age, children's group risk, and treatment phases. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the phenomenon and its consequences. Future interventions should address parents' mental health needs in an early and ongoing assessment in order to promote healthier outcomes.

Hypnosis is useful for multiple somatic and psychological disorders, particularly cancer disease-related issues. In fact, the literature points out that hypnosis is effective in helping patients deal with aspects disease related, as well as in reducing the side effects of treatment. This review of the literature aims to summarize and assess the evidence of the usefulness of hypnosis in cancer patients and was conducted based on articles published between 2012 and 2019. The databases used were: B-on, SciELO, MEDLINE, and Web of Science. Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies were assessed. Among 837 studies identified, nine met the inclusion criteria and were selected. The studies were consensual to the effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing a set of symptoms in cancer patients, mainly pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and insomnia. However, several methodological limitations were identified. The practice of hypnosis is related to a significant number of techniques and approaches that differ from each other, thus compromising the interpretation and generalization of its effects. This review updates the evidence and suggests that the study of the efficacy of hypnosis in cancer patients is still limited. Further research into the effectiveness and acceptability of hypnosis for cancer patients is recommended.