Tailored Sailing Experience to Reduce Psychological Distress and Improve the Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors: A Survey-Based Pilot Study

An integrated intervention on well-being: A qualitative study on relationships and emotions

BACKGROUND

Oncological treatments lead to physical and emotional difficulties with notable consequences in everyday life. Thus, integrated interventions that can promote quality of life are needed. Since current studies suggest that integrated programs of both physical exercises and psychological sessions can promote positive emotions, this pilot study aims to explore the impact of a one-week intervention that combines sailing activities and psychological support.

METHODS

Twenty-nine breast cancer survivors took part in this study. Before and after the intervention, participants were invited to answer three open questions to evaluate their perceptions of personal evaluations about their relationships and emotions. A Qualitative Thematic Analysis was used to evaluate participants' answers and to compare the sub-themes that emerged in the two times.

RESULTS

Findings highlighted three main themes: a) caregivers and emotional closeness - family members are generally a crucial point of reference for participants. Friends, colleagues, and healthcare professionals were also cited as relevant figures during the cancer journey and after the psychological intervention; b) emotions towards others - positive and negative emotions towards these figures emerged, and some women felt alone, and c) emotions towards oneself - exploring emotions related to themselves highlighted positive and negative feelings and the desire for change to promote love and care towards themselves. Interestingly, the number of negative emotions towards themselves decreased after the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The integrated intervention could promote the reflection on personal relationships and emotions.

"All Hands on Deck": Psychological Characteristics of Women with Experience of Oncological Disease Participating in Sailing Cruise-A Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

In addition to searching for effective methods of treatment, interventions are sought to support well-being, quality of life, mental health, and recovery. Sailing has its specific features, including task orientation, challenges, contact with people, and nature. This specificity may be treated as a potential therapeutic factor, but it is also likely that people with certain psychological characteristics are involved in it. Therefore, the study aimed to assess some psychological features of women with cancer experience who decided to take part in the Onco-Cruise (Polish: Onko-Rejs).

METHODS

Participants were 56 women (M = 46.73; SD = 9.21). We used NEO-FFI, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, and The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale.

RESULTS

Onco-Cruises participants were characterized by a high level of extraversion (M = 32.48; SD = 7.02; sten score M = 7.21; Mo = 7), openness (M = 31.50; SD = 6.31; sten score M = 7.41; Mo = 8), low neuroticism (M = 21.62; SD = 9.33; sten score M = 4.96), predominance of present hedonistic (M = 12.55, SD = 1.46) and future time perspective (M = 11.39; SD = 2.67), and the internal health locus of control (M = 23.25, SD = 5.43).

CONCLUSION

Group sailing can be favorable for broadly understood health and cancer recovery, but people who choose this activity have certain psychological predispositions, especially indicating high needs for stimulation. Permanent features should be taken into account when proposing various interventions for oncology patients to best suit them to their natural possibilities and preferences and, thus, make them most effective.

Health effects of outdoor water sports in chronic disease: a scoping review

Background

Although outdoor water sport activities are gaining increasing attention for their therapeutic potential in the social and care management of populations with chronic diseases, these practices are currently underutilised. Moreover, the available body of literature on the topic has not been critically and comprehensively assessed yet.

Aims

(1) To appraise the health effects of outdoor water sport activities for chronic disease populations; (2) to preliminarily assess the potential size and scope of the available research literature for this emerging field and identify potential gaps and avenues of development.

Methods

A literature search was performed scanning PubMed (including MEDLINE), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Scopus from inception to December 2021. A scoping review was carried out by appraising all the available evidence on outdoor water sport interventions specifically designed for therapeutic purposes for individuals with chronic disease. The quality score of each study was calculated with the Tool for the assEssment of Study qualiTy and reporting in Exercise (TESTEX) tool.

Results

Fifteen studies (five RCTs, seven non-RCTs and three CTs with healthy subjects as controls) met the inclusion criteria and were assessed. Among the studies selected, two focused on canoa kayak, one on stand-up paddle, two on surfing, two on sailing activity, and eight on dragon boat padding. The median TESTEX score for study quality and reporting was 6/15, i.e., “very low” (range 5–8). Based on the qualitative analysis, the few individual studies that could be included reported generally positive results, ranging from improvements in antioxidant action and cardiovascular function for dragon boating, to beneficial effects on balance, postural control, and flexibility for on-water paddle board activities. Overall, outdoor water sport interventions were associated to higher rates of adherence than conventional trainings.

Conclusions

Very low to low quality evidence from a limited set of pilot studies seems to suggest beneficial effects of outdoor water sports for chronic disease populations. However, such preliminary findings need to be replicated through large, high-quality RCTs to be conducted in target populations. Avenues of development, scoping directions and translational perspectives for this specific research field are proposed and discussed.

Quality of life improvement in breast cancer survivors affected by upper limb lymphedema through a novel multiperspective physical activity methodology: a monocentric pilot study

PURPOSE

Chronic lymphedema causes psychophysical sequelae jeopardizing quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer (BC) survivors, and lack of effective therapies represents a major challenge for healthcare professionals. Structured adapted physical activity (APA) may represent an effective strategy to attenuate cancer treatment-related impairments and improve QoL. Here, we describe the effects of a specific APA intervention based on a novel multiperspective methodology in counteracting lymphedema-related morphofunctional alterations and improving QoL of BC survivors.

METHODS

BC survivors with chronic moderate/severe lymphedema attending the Cancer Rehabilitation Center in Florence were assessed before and after 8-week APA. The protocol consisted of both APA specialist-supervised and self-leaded sessions using a tailor-designed proprioceptive board. Body mass index, bioimpedance parameters, indirect upper limb volume measurement, and ultrasonography were performed. Wrist flexion/extension and hand strength functional tests were also executed. QoL, depression/anxiety and pain intensity were evaluated by ULL27, HADS, distress thermometer and NRS questionnaires, respectively.

RESULTS

Although bioimpedance, ultrasound and volumetric measures remained mostly unchanged, wrist mobility, pain perception, depression, and QoL were all significantly ameliorated after APA.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that a multidisciplinary treatment approach involving APA professionals should be employed in the management of BC-related lymphedema to improve patient psychophysical outcomes and QoL.

A Comparative Psycholinguistic Study on the Subjective Feelings of Well-Being Outcomes of Foreign Language Learning in Older Adults From the Czech Republic and Poland

Positive psychology has recently seen unprecedented rise and has reached vast achievements in the area of quality of life (QoL) improvement. The purpose of this study is to show that there are different aspects of well-being that make healthy older people motivated to learn a foreign language at a later age. The research was conducted in the Czech Republic and Poland in two groups of learners aged 55 years and more. The experimental group consisted of 105 Czech respondents who were targeted with an online questionnaire with the aim to determine the level of FLL outcomes connected to QoL in healthy older adults in their L2 acquisition. The second experimental group (n = 100) was established of Polish seniors who attended similar language courses. The findings of the research clearly show that FLL has an irreplaceable role as one of several non-pharmacological strategies utilized to improve the aging process and reduce drawbacks of aging. The results indicate that seniors' overall satisfaction and subjective feelings of well-being are enormously high when attending foreign language classes at older age. FLL, therefore, creates an environment that can enhance QoL of older adults that can be supplemented by other means such as well-balanced diet, other social activities, sport and physical activity, music, or computer games. All these intervention methods can significantly improve QoL of older adults and the parties engaged and/or responsible for taking care of older generation should take it into serious consideration.

Effectiveness of an Adapted Physical Activity Protocol for Upper Extremity Recovery and Quality of Life Improvement in a Case of Seroma after Breast Cancer Treatment

Growing evidence indicates that physical activity (PA) interventions may reduce upper limb function-limiting side effects of treatments and improve quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer (BC) survivors. However, the possible effectiveness of PA in cases developing seroma after BC treatment has yet to be demonstrated. Here, we describe for the first time the impact of a structured PA pathway (i.e., two cycles of eight-week adapted PA followed by eight-week adapted fitness) on upper limb disability and QoL in a peculiar case of chronic seroma as complication of reconstructive plastic surgery after left breast mastectomy and lymphadenectomy. A 56-year-old female BC survivor underwent a functional test battery (i.e., shoulder–arm mobility, range of motion, back flexibility and indirect assessment of pectoralis minor muscle) at baseline, during and after ending the structured PA pathway. Upper limb and back pain intensity and QoL were evaluated by numerical rating scale and Short Form-12 questionnaire, respectively. A relevant seroma reduction, an improvement in upper limb mobility and pain perception, and an overall increase in QoL were achieved after the structured PA intervention. Our findings suggest that an adapted PA intervention may represent an effective strategy for seroma treatment in BC survivors.