Search

The study aimed to explore the relationship between family resilience, post-traumatic growth(PTG), and caregiver burden among family caregivers of stroke survivors. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to recruit 253 family caregivers of stroke survivors from a public hospital in Shandong Province, China. Caregivers completed sociodemographic information, the Shortened Chinese Version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale, the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, and the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. We used Amos 24.0 to construct structural equation models and examine the mediating effects of stroke survivors’ post-traumatic growth. Family resilience was positively associated with post-traumatic growth, and both family resilience and post-traumatic growth were negatively associated with caregiver burden. Post-traumatic growth partially mediated the relationship between family resilience and caregiver burden, and the mediating effect accounted for 21.27% of the total effect. Targeted interventions should address family resilience and post-traumatic growth as protective factors of caregiver burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of 16 phthalate esters (PAEs) were detected in the sewage and sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Qingdao, China. The total PAE concentrations in the influent samples from the Chengyang, Licun River, and Haibo River WWTPs were 134.42, 186.02, and 135.72 ng/mL, respectively. Dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethylglycol phthalate (DMGP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di(2-ethoxyethyl) phthalate (DEEP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) were all detected, with DMP being the most abundant compound. By contrast, the total PAE concentrations in the effluent samples from the three WWTPs were 39.91, 55.42, and 44.37 ng/mL. The removal efficiencies for individual PAEs in the three WWTPs varied widely. DMP and DEP were removed effectively in the Chengyang WWTP, whereas DMP and DnOP were removed relatively well in the Chengyang and Haibo River WWTPs. In the sludge from the Chengyang, Licun River, and Haibo River WWTPs, the total PAE contents were 96.46 mg/kg, 91.20 mg/kg, and 98.45 mg/kg, respectively. According to the mass balance, most PAEs (48.30%–56.31%) in the sewage decreased, and 43.69%–51.70% of total PAEs were discharged to the environment through the effluent and sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]