Suchergebnisse

"Die Pflegebedürftigkeit von alten und kranken Menschen stellt vor dem Hintergrund der demografischen Veränderungen in Deutschland eine zunehmende Herausforderung an die Betroffen und deren Familienmitglieder dar. Hilfs- und Pflegebedürftigkeit hat allerdings auch im gewohnten Umfeld des eigenen Haushalts erhebliche Einschränkungen im täglichen Leben zur Folge. In diesem Beitrag wird zunächst die objektive Situation von pflegebedürftigen Menschen in Haushalten bezüglich ihrer Verteilung und der Art der benötigten Hilfe dargestellt. Auf der Basis des Sozio-ökonomischen Panels werden neben objektiven Lebensbedingungen vor allem Veränderungen der Gesundheits- und Lebenszufriedenheit untersucht, die mit dem Auftreten von Hilfe- und Pflegebedürftigkeit im Lebensverlauf einhergehen. Auch bei kritischen Lebensereignissen tendieren Menschen dazu, nach einiger Zeit wieder ein hohes Maß an subjektivem Wohlbefinden zu erreichen. Erklärt wird dies durch die Adaption der Ansprüche an die gegebene objektive Situation, auch wenn diese ungünstig ist. Es gibt allerdings auch Grund zur Annahme, dass Menschen ihre Erwartungen nicht an alle objektiven Umstände anpassen können. Schwere gesundheitliche Beeinträchtigungen, die kein eigenständiges Leben mehr erlauben, könnten die Adaptionsfähigkeit auch überfordern. Aufgrund des Längsschnittcharakters der Untersuchung werden zur Klärung dieser Fragen langjährige Anpassungsprozesse an die objektiv ungünstige Gesundheitssituation in die Analyse einbezogen." (Autorenreferat)

Background: "A person's death is not only an ending: it is also a beginning – for the survivors. Indeed, in the case of suicide, the largest public health problem is neither the prevention of suicide (...), nor the management of attempts (...), but the alleviation of the effects of stress in the survivor-victims of suicidal deaths, whose lives are forever changed and who, over a period of years, numbers in the millions ..." (Edwin S. Shneidman, 1973 ). Aims: As there is no doubt that suicide postvention should be given a more prominent position on the agenda than is presently the case, this paper explores what we now know about perceived needs for help on the part of suicide bereaved in different parts of the world. Methods: A search of related literature in the field was undertaken using the PubMed/PsychInfo databases. In addition, professionals throughout the world working in the field of suicide postvention were invited to submit reports about suicide postvention measures or literature. Results: Very little research was found that reflected the perceived needs for help on the part of the bereaved – and all the studies stemmed from countries in the Western world. However, the bereaved in these studies agreed about a common need for peer and social support, and that professional help must be adapted to and offered with respect for individual needs. Thus, it seems that in societies in which the stigma about suicide has diminished, the bereaved experience very similar needs for help, whereas in other societies it is difficult to talk about their need for help because of the sanctions and taboos connected to suicide. Conclusions: We need far more culturally sensitive research in order to explore and clarify how each community understands suicide and reacts to families who have lost someone by suicide.

AbstractThis study examined the associations between exposure to armed conflict, perceived support, work experience, needing help, and post‐traumatic distress among Israeli social workers in foster care agencies based on Conservation of Resources theory. The study used a mixed‐methods design. Six months after the end of an armed conflict, 82 social workers responded to a web‐based questionnaire with closed‐ and open‐ended questions. Results showed that exposure to the armed conflict was moderately associated with post‐traumatic stress symptoms and functional impairment. Only the workers' perceived need for personal help (but not help for professional matters) was positively associated with their psychological distress. The qualitative analysis suggests that social workers showed strengths and wanted help mainly to improve their professional skills. Yet they also elaborated on the complexities involved in conducting their professional work, especially home visits, because such visits put their own lives in danger and meant deserting their own families. Practice implications are as follows: Foster care agencies should make greater efforts to provide knowledge and skills, support, supervision, and a "safe haven" for their workers, in the context of armed conflict.