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Objective: To describe the relationships between impairment and contextual factors and community participation for girls and women with Rett syndrome. Methods: Data was collected from a questionnaire completed in 2009 by families participating in the Australian Rett Syndrome Database ( n = 214). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyse relationships between impairment, personal and environmental factors and community participation. Results: The mean age of the girls and women was 17.6 years (SD = 7.95, range 3 to 34 years) with 114 (53.3%) girls still at school and 100 (46.7%) women post school. Frequency of activities was influenced by level of walking, community support and maternal education. For girls living at home, participation in activities was associated with greater functional independence and higher levels of maternal education. Participation in recreational (90.1%), physical/skill-based (67.6%) and/or social (70.3%) activities was commonly reported by families, while self-improvement (17.6%) activities were less reported. Younger girls participated in activities mainly with family members and older girls more frequently participated with carers. Conclusion: Participation for girls and women with Rett syndrome could be enhanced by stronger local community supports. There are also needs for the implementation of policies that ensure resources are available and accessible by those communities most in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluations of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) scheme have not yet focused on minority subgroups. This paper aims to evaluate accessibility, waiting times and clinical outcomes of IAPT for older adults., Methods: All referrals from six Primary Care Trusts (PCT) in the East of England were used in this analysis. During each session, the therapist recorded information on anxiety symptoms using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) and depressive symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Waiting times, type of referrals and reliable recovery rates were investigated., Results: Older adults accounted for only 4% of all the IAPT referrals made between September 2008 and July 2010 in the Eastern Region. Waiting times for both IAPT assessment and treatment were slightly lower for older adult. In all centres, reliable recovery rates were higher in older adults compared to younger adults post-treatment, however these differences were not significant, with the exception of a difference in anxiety scores (χ(2)(1) = 18.6, p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, being an older adult was associated with recovery for depression (OR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.10-1.53), anxiety (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.21-1.66), and overall recovery (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.10-1.54) after adjustment for gender, PCT region, baseline score, maximum treatment step during treatment, dropping out, and number of sessions., Conclusions: The IAPT services were shown to be beneficial to older patients, however, access to these services in later life has been lower than expected. The service pathway for older populations needs to be better researched in order to eliminate possible obstacles in accessing services., (Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)