BACKGROUNDThe Wenchuan earthquake in China caused shock and grief worldwide. Sudden bereavement caused by the earthquake led to physical disorders as well as psychological disturbances in the bereaved individuals. The bereaved had a high risk for complicated grief (CG), which may have led to significant distress and impairment in their health. However, there was few available studies on CG among disaster-bereaved individuals in China after the disaster. The aim of this study was to identify factors (demographic characteristics and disaster-related variables) associated with symptoms of CG among the bereaved 18 months after the Wenchuan earthquake.

METHODSThis study was conducted with a cross-sectional design and a convenience sample of 271 bereaved individuals from three of the hardest hit areas. Data were collected by questionnaires and the instruments used in the study were: General questionnaire and Inventory of CG (ICG). Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with symptoms of CG.

RESULTSThe mean score on ICG was 52.77 (standard deviation: 10.00). Being female and loss of a child were related to higher level of CG while having another child after the disaster and receiving psychological counseling experience were associated with lower level of CG. Forty-nine percent of the variance of CG was explained by these identified factors.

CONCLUSIONSEighteen months after the Wenchuan earthquake, the symptoms of CG among the bereaved were higher than the previous studies with bereaved individuals. This study uncovers a vulnerable population of the bereaved at high risk for CG. Early assessments, targeted interventions, and policy support tailored for the disaster-bereaved individuals are necessary to identify and alleviate symptoms of CG and to improve their well-being.

Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Earthquakes ; Female ; Grief ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common traumatic disease. Patients with limited mobility are prone to pressure injuries, which seriously affect the patient's rehabilitation process. The use of risk assessment scale can effectively predict the occurrence of pressure injuries. This article reviewed the pathogenesis, risk factors, and use of different risk assessment tools for patients with spinal cord injury, compared the content, assessment methods, applicable population, reliability and validity of each risk assessment scale, summarized the advantages and disadvantages of different assessment scales, and provided reference to choose the best risk assessment tool.

Objective:To systematically review the relevant researches on aspiration screening tools for stroke patients. Methods:Literatures aboute stroke aspiration screening tools till December, 2018 were recalled from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMbase, CNKI, Wanfang Database and China Biomedical Literature Database. Two researchers independently screened the literatures and extracted the basic information, such as the content, screening format, scoring standard and measurement characteristics. Results:A total of 25 studies were included, involving ten aspiration screening tools. The content, screening format, scoring standard and measurement characteristics of the aspiration screening tools were analysed. There was no evidence to support the tools. Conclusion:Tools would be selected according to the patient's condition, age and swallowing related characteristics.

Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Female ; Hip Joint/surgery* ; Hip Prosthesis ; Humans ; Male ; Sex Characteristics ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome