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Background: Although systematic and scoping reviews have identified a range of interventions for persons experiencing homelessness, no known reviews have captured the range and quality of intervention studies aimed at supporting a transition from homelessness., Objectives: To capture the range and quality of occupational therapy intervention studies aimed at supporting a transition to housing following homelessness., Method: Using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines, we conducted a systematic review including a critical appraisal and narrative synthesis of experimental studies., Results: Eleven studies were included. Critical appraisal scores ranged from 33.3 to 88.9 of a possible score of 100 (Mdn = 62.5; IQR = 33.4). The majority of studies evaluated interventions for the development of life skills ( n  = 9; 81.8%), and all were conducted in the USA. Several of the included studies were exploratory evaluation and feasibility studies, and all were quasi-experimental in design. Only three studies (27.2%) incorporated a control group. Intervention strategies included (1) integrated group and individual life skills interventions ( n  = 6); (2) group-based life skills interventions ( n  = 3); and (3) psychosocial and consultative interventions ( n  = 2)., Conclusions: Research evaluating occupational therapy interventions aimed at supporting homeless individuals as they transition to housing is in an early stage of development., Significance: Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Community integration (CI) has been identified as a key outcome of programs designed to improve the lives of homeless and recently housed individuals (Gaetz, The State of Homelessness in Canada 2016, 2016). Although researchers have explored the extent to which Housing First (HF) impacts on social integration (Quilgars & Pleace, Soc. Incl., 4, 2016), little is known about the range and effectiveness of other interventions on CI more broadly. We conducted a systematic review of experimental studies using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. Our search strategy was deployed in six databases: EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Medline, Sociological Abstracts, and Proquest Dissertations and Theses. Our search was initiated in 2017 and updated on May 5, 2019. Using the definition of CI identified by Wong & Solomon (Ment. Health Serv. Res., 4:13-28, 2002), two independent raters screened 14,158 titles and abstracts after the removal of duplicates. A total of 157 articles were subjected to full-text review. Studies published in the English language and involving participants of any age were included. We conducted a critical appraisal of 25 studies using the JBI checklists for quasi-experimental and randomised controlled trials (Tufanaru, Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers Manual, 2017), and subsequently excluded four studies as they did not meet a pre-established quality threshold score of 50/100. A total of 21 studies were included in a narrative synthesis. Critical appraisal scores ranged from 53.8-100 (Mdn = 69.2). Interventions evaluated in existing literature included housing and housing support interventions (n = 9), HF (n = 5), psychosocial interventions (n = 5), and employment interventions (n = 2). A meta-analysis could not be performed due to the heterogeneity of outcomes in included studies. Aspects of CI measured by researchers included social (n = 17), psychological (n = 6), and physical (n = 4) integration. Studies that evaluated HF and housing and housing support interventions demonstrated surprisingly mixed or a lack of effectiveness for promoting CI. Psychosocial interventions were the most promising, specifically those which incorporated an element of peer support. Findings of literature included in this review suggests that there is inconsistency in the extent to which existing interventions are effectively targeting CI as an outcome. Furthermore, we contend that existing systems-level interventions, including HF and permanent supportive housing alone may not be enough to promote CI among homeless and formerly homeless individuals. Future research should focus on the development and evaluation of interventions that more effectively target this critical construct., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. With a substantial number of inmates diagnosed with mental illness, substance use, or both, various diversion strategies have been developed to help decrease and avoid criminalization of individuals with mental illness. This article focuses primarily on the first three Sequential Intercept Model intercept points as related to jail diversion and reviews types of diversion programs, research outcomes for diversion programs, and important components that contribute to successful diversion.

Objective: The aims of this study are the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised (CIQ-R) in Italian in a group of individuals with no clinical evidence of disability., Methods: The test's internal consistency and validity were assessed by following international guidelines. The test's internal consistency was examined using Cronbach's alpha ( α ) coefficient. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the test's concurrent validity compared with the Short Form-12 (SF-12) health survey., Results: The CIQ-R was administrated to 400 people with no clinical evidence of disease, impairment, or disability, aged between 18 and 64. Cronbach's α reported a value of 0.82 in the home integration subscale. The test also showed a good test-retest reliability, with an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.78, and a significant correlation between the total score of the CIQ-R and the Physical Component Summary (PCS) of the SF-12 ( r = 0.118), between the "social integration" subscale's score and PCS12 ( r = 0.121) and between the "Electronic Social Networking integration" subscale's score and PCS12 ( r = 0.184), with p < 0.05., Conclusion: This is the first study to report the results of the translation and validation of the CIQ-R in Italian. The CIQ-R is an important tool for Italian professionals and can be useful in both clinical practice and research for measuring the level of community integration among the healthy population., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Melissa Ioncoli et al.)

Introduction: Systematic reviews reporting self-management interventions are associated with significant improvements in stroke survivors' self-efficacy, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and independence. However, common barriers such as transportation and availability of carers were identified. Health coaching is suggested as an innovative and cost-effective care model with potential benefits in managing chronic diseases. A randomised controlled trial is proposed to evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced self-management programme by health coaches on stroke survivors' recovery outcomes., Methods and Analysis: All adult community-dwelling stroke survivors with a modified Rankin Scale Score ≥3 will be recruited from a community rehabilitation network. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to receive either the enhanced stroke self-management programme (Coaching Ongoing Momentum Building On stroKe rEcovery journeY [COMBO-KEY]) plus usual care or usual care only. COMBO-KEY is an 8-week programme underpinned by Bandura's principles of self-efficacy and outcome expectation. It consists of four home visits and five phone-coaching sessions delivered by trained health coaches. Each participant will receive a resource package containing a workbook, a quick reference guide, a planning toolkit and 15 videos of peer survivors' stroke survival experience. Survivors' outcomes include self-efficacy, outcome expectation and satisfaction with performance of self-management behaviours, HRQoL, depressive symptoms and community reintegration. Assessment will be conducted at baseline and immediately after completing the programme. Generalised estimating equations' model will be used to analyse the data., Discussion: It is anticipated that the programme will build community capacity in supporting stroke survivors. The results will shed light on integrating the programme into the current stroke rehabilitation services., Ethics and Dissemination: The Joint Chinese University of Hong Kong-New Territories East Cluster Clinical Research Ethics Committee has approved this protocol (CREC Ref. No.: 2018.009). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and presentations at local and international conferences., Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03741842; Pre-results., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Purpose: This study reports level of community integration and life satisfaction among individuals who sustained traumatic spinal cord injuries, received institutional rehabilitation care services, and went back to live in the community in Bangladesh. It examines the impact of type of injury, demographic characteristics, socio-economic profile, and secondary health conditions on community integration and life satisfaction and explores the association between these two measures., Method: Individuals with spinal cord injury were telephone interviewed by the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, Bangladesh from February to June of 2014. Data were collected from the subjects on type of injury, demographic and socio-economic profile, and secondary health conditions. The outcome measures were determined by using two validated tools - Community Integration Questionnaire and Life Satisfaction 9 Questionnaire., Results: Total community integration and life satisfaction scores were 15.09 and 3.69, respectively. A significant positive relationship between community integration and life satisfaction was revealed. Type of injury, gender, and age were found to be significant predictors of both community integration and life satisfaction scores. Higher education was significantly related to community integration and life satisfaction scores., Conclusion: Participants scored low in total community integration and life satisfaction, suggesting there is a great need to develop interventions by governmental and non-governmental organizations to better integrate individuals with spinal cord injury in the community. Implications for Rehabilitation Government and non-government organizations should offer disability friendly public transportation facilities for individuals with spinal cord injury so that they can return to education, resume employment, and involve in social activities. Entrepreneurs and businesses should develop assistive devices featuring low technology, considering the rural structure and housing conditions in Bangladesh. Innovations being made in assistive technology should be supported by subsidies and grants. They should also plan to offer injury appropriate employment opportunities for individuals who suffer major injuries like spinal cord injury in Bangladesh. Housing facilities with accessible bathrooms, kitchens and stairs should be designed and offered for this population to improve their ability to self-care and decrease the dependence on caregivers for household tasks such as - cooking meals and taking care of children.

Purpose: Early surgery for older adults with hip fracture has been shown to improve outcomes. We aim to study the factors contributing to delay in surgery (defined as surgery performed more than 48 h after admission) and its associated outcomes in a tertiary hospital in Singapore with an integrated hip fracture program., Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of hip fracture patients aged more than 60 years over 1 year. We collected data on demographics, premorbid mobility and functional status, time to surgery, postoperative complications, and inhospital mortality. Mortality data and functional performance were reviewed at 1 year., Results: High American Society of Anaesthesiologists score independently predicted delay in surgery (odd ratio (OR) = 9.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.69-53.68). Delayed surgery was significantly associated with longer length of stay (median 12.8 days with interquartile range (IQR) 9.7-17.6 days vs. 8.35 days with IQR 5.9-10.9 days, p < 0.01). Surgery within 48 h significantly reduced functional decline (Modified Barthel Index change -3.89 ± 17.23 vs. -9.29 ± 20.30, p = 0.01) and 1-year mortality (3.5% vs. 9.3%, p = 0.03). Surgical delay was an independent risk factor for early postoperative complications (OR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.21-8.49), and patients were significantly less likely to return to premorbid mobility at 1 year (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.39-0.97)., Conclusions: Delayed hip fracture surgery in older adults is associated with worse short- and long-term outcomes, including early postoperative complications and poorer functional recovery.

Background: Little is known about the effectiveness of Housing First (HF) among ethnic minority groups, despite its growing popularity for homeless adults experiencing mental illness. This randomized controlled trial tests the effectiveness of a HF program using rent supplements and intensive case management, enhanced by anti-racism and anti-oppression practices for homeless adults with mental illness from diverse ethnic minority backgrounds., Methods: This unblinded pragmatic field trial was carried out in community settings in Toronto, Canada. Participants were 237 adults from ethnic minority groups experiencing mental illness and homelessness, who met study criteria for moderate needs for mental health services. Participants were randomized to either adapted HF (n = 135) or usual care (n = 102) and followed every 3 months for 24 months. The primary study outcome was housing stability; secondary outcomes included physical and mental health, social functioning, quality of life, arrests and health service use. Intention to treat statistical analyses examined the effectiveness of the intervention compared to usual care., Results: During the 24-month study period, HF participants were stably housed a significantly greater proportion of time compared to usual care participants, 75 % (95 % CI 70 to 81) vs. 41 % (95 % CI 35 to 48), respectively, for a difference of 34 %, 95 % CI 25 to 43. HF also led to improvements in community integration over the course of the study: the change in the mean difference between treatment groups from baseline to 24-months was significantly greater among HF participants compared to those in usual care (change in mean difference = 2.2, 95 % CI 0.06 to 4.3). Baseline diagnosis of psychosis was associated with reduced likelihood of being housed ≥ 50 % of the study period (OR = 0.37, 95 % CI 0.18 to 0.72)., Conclusion: Housing First enhanced with anti-racism and anti-oppression practices can improve housing stability and community functioning among ethnically diverse homeless adults with mental illness., Trial Registration: International Standard Randomized Control Trial Number Register Identifier: ISRCTN42520374 , assigned August 18, 2009.

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are influenced by a complex interplay of individual and environmental factors that affect physical activity and healthy eating. Nevertheless, little has been reported on people's perceptions of those factors. Addressing this critical gap and community partner needs, this study explored how people perceived the influence of micro- and macroenvironmental factors on physical activity and healthy eating., Methods: Community partners wanted the study results in a format that would be readily and easily used by local decision makers. We used photovoice to engage 35 community members across four municipalities in Alberta, Canada, and to share their narratives about their physical activity and healthy eating. A combination of inductive and deductive analysis categorized data by environmental level (micro vs. macro) and type (physical, political, economic, and sociocultural), guided by the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity Framework., Results: Participants conceptualized health-influencing factors more broadly than physical activity and healthy eating to include "community social health." Participants spoke most often about the influence of the microenvironment (n = 792 ANGELO Framework coding tallies) on their physical activity, healthy eating and community social health in comparison to the macroenvironment (n = 93). Photovoice results provided a visual narrative to community partners and decision makers about how people's ability to make healthy choices can be limited by macroenvironmental forces beyond their control., Conclusion: Focussing future research on macro- and microenvironmental influences and localized community social health can inform practice by providing strategies on how to implement healthy changes within communities, while ensuring that research and interventions echo diverse people's perceptions.

Rationale: The health effects of social integration have been extensively studied, yet the underlying dynamics of this relationship deserves more exploration. One of the important hypothesized pathways through which social integration affects health is psychological functioning, including a sense of belonging, personal control and generalized trust., Objective: Using a Canadian national survey, this study explored the effect of social integration on different health outcomes via psychological pathways, while incorporating network homophily as a predictor in the model., Methods: Five distinct demographic groups of Canadians (the Native-born Whites, Native-born visible minorities, the Aboriginal people, immigrant Whites and immigrant visible minorities) were compared on their social integration, psychological functioning, and health outcomes. Structural equation models tested the mediation effects of psychological pathways, and group differences were explored by adding interaction terms., Results: The study found that visible minority immigrants were least socially integrated, and the Aboriginal people had the poorest self-reported physical and mental health. Although the Aboriginal people had large networks and active network interactions, they showed stronger ethnic and linguistic homophily in their network formation than the two visible minority groups. Structural equation model results supported the mediated relationship between social integration and health via psychological pathways. A positive effect of friendship ethnic homophily on health was identified and explored., Conclusion: Policy makers may seek opportunities to create social environments that facilitate social interactions and formation of social ties and provide support for programs serving ethnic and immigrant groups., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aims of this study were to assess the trajectories of community integration in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) through one, two, and five years post-injury and to examine whether those trajectories could be predicted by demographic and injury characteristics. A longitudinal cohort study was conducted with 105 individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI admitted to a trauma referral center in 2005-2007. Demographics and injury-related factors were extracted from medical records. At the one-, two- and five-year follow-ups, community integration was measured by the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ). A hierarchical linear model (HLM) examined whether longitudinal trajectories of community integration could be predicted by: time, sex, age, relationship status, education, employment status, occupation, acute Glasgow Coma Scale score, cause of injury, days in post-traumatic amnesia (PTA), computed tomography Marshall Score, and Injury Severity Score. CIQ scores improved across the three time-points (p<0.001). Additionally, higher trajectories of community integration were predicted by being single at the time of injury (p<.001), higher level of education (p=0.006), employment (p<0.001), and a shorter length of PTA (p<0.001). In a follow-up HLM with interaction terms, time*PTA was statistically significant (p<0.001), suggesting that participants with longer PTA increased in community integration more rapidly than those with shorter PTA. The longitudinal course of community integration described in this study may help rehabilitation professionals to plan more extensive follow-ups and targeted rehabilitation programs in the early stage of recovery for patients with specific demographic and injury characteristics.

Objectives: To determine the association between unique domains of cognitive impairment and community integration in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), and to determine the contributions of cognitive impairment to community integration beyond the influence of demographic and clinical variables., Design: Cross-sectional analysis of objective neuropsychological assessment and self-report data. Data were collected during baseline assessment of a randomized, multisite controlled trial of ginkgo biloba for cognitive impairment in MS. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the association between subjective and objective measures of cognitive impairment and 3 domains of community integration, adjusting for relevant covariates., Setting: Two Veterans Affairs medical center MS clinics., Participants: Adults (N=121; ages 24-65y) with a confirmed MS diagnosis., Interventions: Not applicable., Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcomes were scores on the Home Integration (CIQ-H), Social Integration (CIQ-S), and Productivity (CIQ-P) domains of the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ)., Results: Cognitive impairment was associated with lower scores on the CIQ-H and CIQ-S, but not the CIQ-P. Greater levels of subjective cognitive impairment were associated with lower scores on the CIQ-H and CIQ-S. Greater levels of objective cognitive impairment, specifically slower processing speed and poorer inhibitory control, were related to lower CIQ-S scores. Subjective and objective measures of cognitive impairment were significantly and independently associated with CIQ-S., Conclusions: Objective cognitive impairment may interfere with participation in social activities. Subjective cognitive impairment is also important to assess, because individuals who perceive themselves to be cognitively impaired may be less likely to participate in both home and social activities. Clinical interventions to enhance community integration in individuals with MS may benefit from addressing objective and subjective cognitive impairment by integrating cognitive rehabilitation approaches with self-efficacy-enhancing strategies., (Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To integrate immigrants into their societies, European countries have adopted different types of policies, which may influence health through both material and psychosocial determinants. Recent studies have suggested poorer health outcomes for immigrants living in countries with poorly rated integration policies., Objective: To analyse mortality differences of immigrants from the same country of origin living in countries with distinct integration policy contexts., Methods: From the mortality dataset collected in the Migrant Ethnic Health Observatory (MEHO) project, we chose the Netherlands (linked data from 1996-2006), France (unlinked; 2005-2007) and Denmark (linked; 1992-2001) as representatives of the inclusive, assimilationist and exclusionist policy models, respectively, based on the Migrant Integration Policy Index. We calculated for each country sex- and age-standardized mortality rates for Turkish-, Moroccan- and local-born populations aged 20-69 years. Poisson regression was used to estimate the mortality rate ratios (MRRs) for cross-country and within-country comparisons. The analyses were further stratified by age group and cause of death., Results: Compared with their peers in the Netherlands, Turkish-born immigrants had higher all-cause mortality in Denmark (MRR men 1.92; 95% CI 1.74-2.13 and women 2.11; 1.80-2.47) but lower in France (men 0.64; 0.59-0.69 and women 0.58; 0.51-0.67). A similar pattern emerged for Moroccan-born immigrants. The relative differences between immigrants and the local-born population were also largest in Denmark and lowest in France (e.g., Turkish-born men MRR 1.52; 95% CI 1.38-1.67 and 0.62; 0.58-0.66, respectively). These patterns were consistent across all age groups, and more marked for cardiovascular diseases., Conclusions: Although confounders and data comparability issues (e.g., French cross-sectional data) may affect the findings, this study suggests that different macro-level policy contexts may influence immigrants' mortality. Comparable mortality registration systems across Europe along with detailed socio-demographic information on immigrants may help to better assess this association.

Background: Currently there is no evidence on the effectiveness of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Sweden., Aims: To determine the effectiveness of IPS on vocational outcomes among people with severe mental illness (SMI) in a Swedish context. A secondary aim was to evaluate a community integration effect., Methods: A randomized controlled trial with a parallel design was used. Mental health outpatients with SMI were randomized to IPS or traditional vocational rehabilitation (TVR) services. The allocation status was assessor-blinded. The primary outcome was competitive employment. All vocational outcomes were collected continuously, and socio-demographic and clinical variables at baseline, 6 and 18 months. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00960024., Results: One hundred and twenty participants were randomized. Eighty seven per cent were assessed after 6 months, and 73% after 18 months. IPS was more effective than TVR in terms of gaining employment at 18-month follow-up (46% vs. 11%; difference 36%, 95% CI 18-54), along with the amount of working hours and weeks, longer job tenure periods and income. Cox regression analysis showed that IPS participants gained employment five times quicker than those in TVR. Ninety per cent of the IPS participants became involved in work, internships or education, i.e. activities integrated in mainstream community settings, while 24% in the TVR group achieved this., Conclusions: IPS is effective in a Swedish context in terms of gaining employment and becoming integrated within the local community. The welfare system presented obstacles for gaining competitive employment directly and it was indicated that internships delayed time to first competitive employment.

Objective: To examine the relationship between life satisfaction, community integration, and emotional distress in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI)., Method: This was an archival study of a longitudinal data set on the outcome and recovery process of persons with TBI. Participants were 253 consecutive adults with mild complicated, moderate, and severe TBI who were enrolled in a large, longitudinal study of persons with TBI. Main measures included the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Positive Affective and Negative Affective Schedule, the Craig Hospital Assessment and Reporting Technique Short-Form, the Community Integration Measure, and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18., Results: The three-factor model adequately fit the data, and a higher-order model did not necessarily improve model fit but revealed significant relationships with first-order constructs and one second-order construct., Conclusions: Life satisfaction, community integration, and emotional distress were found to be related yet unique concepts in persons with TBI. Life satisfaction was positively related to community involvement and inversely related to emotional distress. Community integration was inversely related to emotional distress. In addition, these concepts are related to a higher-order concept of psychosocial status, a global representation of subjective and objective functioning. These findings demonstrate the interrelated and dynamic nature of psychosocial well-being after brain injury and highlight the need for integrative and holistic treatment plans.

Measures of community integration rely on self-report assessments that often quantify physical or social participation, but fail to capture the individual׳s spatial presence in the community. The current study documents the activity space, or area of daily experiences, of 37 individuals who were once homeless through participatory mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Contrary to expectations, there was no significant relationship between activity space size and community integration measures, except a negative association with physical integration. Further analysis revealed, however, that continued use of homeless services, geographically spread throughout the city, was associated with larger activity space size, but may be counterproductive to social and psychological integration efforts. Analysis of the types of locations identified revealed high importance given to leisure locations and ongoing involvement with medical and mental health locations. Finally, community integration outcomes did not differ significantly by demographics or housing type, but rather degree of family involvement and feeling like home, factors that may have more potential for change., (Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

By comparing rural migrant and urban native adolescents in Guangzhou, the largest city in south China, this study investigated the relationships between social stress, social ties that link migrants to their host cities (local ties) and to their rural home communities (trans-local ties), and the migrants׳ mental well-being. Non-migration social stress was more strongly related to poor psychological health than to weak self-efficacy in both migrant and urban native adolescents. This pattern also applied to the effect of migration-specific assimilation stress on psychological health and self-efficacy in migrants. Social ties directly enhanced these two well-being outcomes in both samples, with the effects of trans-local and local ties proving equally potent among migrants. Trans-local ties were somewhat more useful for migrants in moderating the effects of non-migration social stress and assimilation stress, whereas the stress moderation function of social ties was less pronounced in urban natives. These findings extend the migration, network and social stress literature by identifying how local and trans-local ties protect mental health and mitigate stress in migrants., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine the relationship among measures of gait, balance, and community integration in adults with brain injury., Setting: Two rehabilitation hospitals., Participants: Thirty-four community-dwelling individuals with brain injury, aged 18 to 61 years (mean = 32 years), who were able to walk at least 12 m independently or with supervision. Mean time post-brain injury was 52 ± 44 months., Design: Cross-sectional study., Main Measures: Community Balance and Mobility Scale, Dynamic Gait Index, Ten-Meter Walk Test for gait speed, and the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ)., Results: Mean balance and gait scores were as follows: 54 ± 26 of 96 on the Community Balance and Mobility Scale; 19 ± 5 of 24 on the Dynamic Gait Index; and gait speed of 1.36 ± 0.88 m/s. Mean score on the CIQ was 16 ± 5 of 29. Correlations between the balance/gait measures and the total CIQ score ranged from 0.21 to 0.30 and were not significant. All 3 balance/gait measures correlated significantly with the CIQ Productivity subscale (range = 0.38-0.52)., Conclusions: The ability of people with brain injury to engage in work/school/volunteer activity may be reduced by impairments in balance and mobility. Future research should explore this relationship and determine whether interventions that improve balance and mobility result in improved community productivity.

Objective: To describe environmental barriers endorsed by individuals with traumatic brain injury during the first 6 months after discharge and determine their effect on community integration., Design: Prospective longitudinal study with data collected at predischarge and at 1, 3, and 6 months postdischarge., Participants: One hundred thirty-five individuals with a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury discharged from a large metropolitan hospital to a home/community environment., Measures: Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale; Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors; and Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4., Results: Multiple regression analyses indicated that environmental barriers arising during the transition from hospital to home had a negative association with community integration outcomes. Physical barriers were most commonly endorsed, but attitudinal barriers were significantly correlated with relationship changes., Conclusion: Environmental barriers should be addressed in rehabilitation and considered in policy development for people with traumatic brain injury. Future research on the measurement of environmental barriers is recommended.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the impact associated with a unique partnership between the Alzheimer's Society (AS) and primary care-based memory clinics, and in particular to describe the impact on access to community-based services, the role of the AS in these clinics and to identify key lessons learned in partnership formation. PARTICIPANTS & METHODS: A total of 35 memory clinic healthcare providers and nine AS representatives completed a survey assessing the impacts of this partnership, and 25 memory clinic members and 11 AS representatives were interviewed regarding the implementation and outcomes of this partnership. The number of referrals to the AS from the participating primary care settings in the 6 months prior to and following the formation of this partnership were collected., Results: There was a fivefold increase in referrals to the AS in the 6 months following the launch of this partnership. Other identified impacts included improved care integration and coordination across community and primary care sectors, improved access to information and community supports at the time of diagnosis, and increased healthcare provider awareness of available community services. AS representatives assumed various roles in the clinic depending on available resources and existing gaps. Some key lessons were learnt in order to support the implementation of this partnership in other jurisdictions., Conclusion: This partnership was perceived as a significant quality improvement opportunity to better meet the needs of individuals with dementia and their caregivers, and highlights the importance of the integration of community agencies in primary care to improve access to community services.

While the majority of women with mental health problems (MHPs) are mothers, little is known about the community integration (CI) of these women and their children. Given that poorer mental health status has been linked with lower CI, CI has become a long standing goal of mental health policy. Data from a national survey examined the association of maternal mental health status with the physical, social, and psychological integration of families. After adjusting for sociodemographics, mothers with MHPs reported similar physical integration but less social and psychological integration. Interventions focused on improving social networks, scarce resources, and neighborhood safety are needed for families impacted by maternal MHPs.

Background: The incidence and prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is growing rapidly. Understanding the factors associated with declining renal function is of clinical significance. The current study's main goal was to identify variables that could predict decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) over time in outpatients with varying stages of CKD., Methods: Seventy CKD patients completed psychological questionnaires and medical variables were extracted from the medical charts. Follow-up GFR was collected 6 months later. CKD patients with elevated depression scores were compared to patients with subclinical depression on medical and psychological variables., Results: Average Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score was 10.0 ± 7.8, placing the mean below the cut-off for clinical elevation. GFR was significantly different for the two groups (nondepressed, 40.0 ± 11.3 vs. depressed 29.6 ± 8.9; p < 0.05). Similarly, patients with elevated depression scores reported lower quality of life (Short Form 36 Health Survey; p < 0.05) inferior social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List; p < 0.05), and worse community integration (Community Integration Questionnaire; p < 0.05). Utilizing a regression, with a model correcting for baseline GFR, the BDI explained 19% of the variance in GFR score (t = -2.0, p < 0.05) for subjects with decreased GFR., Conclusions: Increased levels of preexisting depression were associated with inferior quality of life, social support and kidney functioning. Depression scores explained a significant amount of variance in GFR scores at 6 months even when corrected for baseline variability. Elevated depression scores are prevalent in CKD populations and further research on the impact of depression interventions is warranted., (Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.)