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Psychometric Evaluation Of Self-Report Pain And Disability Measures For Elbow Disorders, Joshua Vincent

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Elbow disorders are one of the commonest musculoskeletal problems with a prevalence of 9% in men and 8.1% in women. Patient centered care is the goal of current healthcare delivery models; but optimizing treatment outcome and clinical research is hampered by a lack of outcome measures. Since pain and disability resulting from elbow disorders are experienced differently across individuals, they are best captured by patient reported outcome measures (PROM).

PROMs like the Patient-rated Elbow Evaluation (PREE); American Shoulder and Elbow surgeons – Elbow form (pASES-e) have been developed for use in elbow disorders, but important questions remain about their measurement …

Body Image And Quality Of Life: An Exploration Among Individuals With Head And Neck Cancer, Melissa M. Nash

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: One of the most distressing aspects of head and neck cancer (HNC) is the potential for physical disfigurement. Such changes may impact one’s body image (BI) with a secondary potential to impact long-term functioning; hence, changes in perceived BI may be seen as a critical component that influences post-treatment quality of life (QOL).

Methods: Forty participants completed 4 validated questionnaires during regular clinical follow-up visits.

Results: Perception of BI image does influence perception of QOL following HNC treatment(s), yet perceptions are highly individualized. Gender related differences are notable on BI questionnaire scores.

Conclusions: Data suggest that efforts to …

Inter-Relationships Of Functional Status In Children With Cerebral Palsy: An Extension, Emily Dyszuk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The primary aim of this study was to establish functional profiles for children with cerebral palsy (CP), by determining the relationships between three classification systems (the Gross Motor Function Classification System, the Manual Ability Classification System, and the Communication Function Classification System). The secondary aim of this study was to investigate the number and impact of health conditions in the most prevalent clusters. Data were analyzed on 222 children with CP with an average age of 6.1 years, from several locations across North America. A total of 56 out of 125 possible combinations were recorded; four most prevalent cell combinations …

Managing Uncertainty In Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease, Michael J. Ravenek

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Typically considered a disease of old-age, Parkinson’s disease can affect those younger in life, i.e., before the age of 55, when it is referred to as young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD). Using constructionist grounded theory, this research sought to understand how, and why, individuals with YOPD became informed about their disease over time. A total of 39 individuals, who self-identified as living with YOPD, took part in this study which was organized according to four cycles of data collection. These cycles utilized focus groups, in-depth interviews and a private online discussion board, supplemented by 14 autobiographies written by individuals living with …

Measuring Fatigue In Adolescents And Young Adults With Cerebral Palsy, Laura K. Brunton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Fatigue is a significant issue and has been estimated to affect between 30-50% of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) in various studies; however, there is no validated measure of fatigue for this population. A systematic review revealed no one single measure with adequate psychometric properties for use with individuals with CP. As a result a new tool was created: the Fatigue Impact and Severity Self-Assessment (FISSA). Interviews were conducted with youth and young adults with CP to understand the bodily experience of living with CP and as a client-centered approach to item creation for the FISSA. Focus groups with healthcare …

From Their Perspective: How Adolescents And Young Adults Experience And Conceptualize Life And Occupation Surrounding Parental Divorce Or Separation, Laura R. Hartman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Parental divorce affects adolescents’ emotions, routines, habits, occupations and relationships. The current body of research indicates that parental divorce leads to many unfavourable social, behavioural, and mental health outcomes for adolescents. This dissertation explores the daily lives and occupations of adolescents and young adults surrounding the transition of a parental divorce or marital separation.

This thesis contains four manuscripts in addition to the introductory and final reflection chapters. The first manuscript explores the current North American literature relating to adolescent life surrounding a parental divorce or marital separation, ranging form 1998 to 2014. The second manuscript provides an overview of …