Measuring nurses' satisfaction in primary health care centers at Khartoum, Sudan

Background: The primary healthcare sector has experienced significant growth globally, and the nursing workforce has also expanded in recent decades in response to health system reforms. This study aims to assess job satisfaction among primary healthcare nurses in Khartoum, Sudan. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 primary healthcare centers on 50 nurses who were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using an online questionnaire and it was analyzed using SPSS. Results: The findings of this study indicate that the job satisfaction level among nurses working at primary healthcare centers in Khartoum was high (4.4/5). Most nurses reported high satisfaction with all items including protocols, salary, environment, and relationships. The study also found a significant correlation between nurses' sex and experience with their level of job satisfaction. Female nurses reported significantly higher job satisfaction (4.4/5) compared to male nurses (3.6/5), (p-value = 0.04). Additionally, nurses with fewer years of experience reported significantly higher job satisfaction compared to those with more years of experience (p-value = 0.03). Conclusion: The study concludes that nurses working at primary healthcare centers in Khartoum have high job satisfaction, particularly regarding the working environment, salary, relationships, and availability of guidelines. Female nurses and those with less experience have significantly higher job satisfaction.

Primary health care­family partnership for better diabetes outcomes of patients: a systematic review

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a lifelong disease requiring daily self-care activities for better outcomes. Although most of these self-care activities for outpatients are taught in primary health care, their actual practice occurs at home where patients stay. Family dynamics or established cultures impact the management of the disease, hence a need for primary health care­family partnership to empower both families and patients with ways to manage the disease. This systematic review aims to describe the primary health care­family partnership. Methods: The literature was sourced using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. The Scopus/ Elsevier, ScienceDirect and PubMed databases were used to source literature written in English and published between January 1, 2010 and July 31, 2022. Studies were included if focused on self-care activities, management and family-centred care (FCC); participants were diabetes patients and non-diabetic family members; and primary health care diabetes intervention. Results: A total of 62 publications that met inclusion criteria were used in this review. The included studies include quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method studies, including reports. The process of including these publications involved identification, screening and re-screening in line with set eligibility. The key search strategies resulted in the following sub-headings: diabetes self-care, diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES), family-centred care, and primary health care. Conclusion: Evidence from existing literature shows that primary health care is the source of information, yet actual diabetes management occurs at home. This review recommends the adoption of DSMES and FCC modalities to set the foundation for workable primary health care­family partnerships. The adoption of these joint modalities for partnerships will outline the dos and don'ts in managing diabetes at home. The literature further indicates that family support is critical, therefore primary health care­families partnership may lead to improved adherence to self-care activities and better outcomes

Condom use and risk factors of inconsistent or low use of the condoms during heterosexual anal intercourse in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Anal intercourse (AI) has been reported to be the riskiest among other sexual intercourses in spreading human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the risk could be minimized by the use of condoms. Whilst AI is believed to be practiced mainly by men who have sex with men, AI has also been reported to occur in heterosexual relationships. However, data on condom use during heterosexual AI are inadequate in sub-Saharan Africa. Method: A scoping review of English language published articles on condom use during heterosexual anal sex, whose studies were conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa from January 2010 to May 2020 was conducted. Articles were searched systematically on PubMed and Google Scholar electronic databases. Heterosexual AI was defined as penile penetrative anal sex between a man and a woman regardless of the sexual orientation of the 2 parties involved in the act of heterosexual AI. Findings: A total of 21 studies were eligible for analysis. Most of the studies (17 out of 21) reported females to be involved in heterosexual AI whilst 9 out of 21 studies reported males to be involved in heterosexual AI. The lifetime prevalence estimates of condom use during heterosexual AI ranged from 29%-97.5%. Other prevalence estimates of condom use during heterosexual anal intercourse were reported over various recall periods which were: 12 months' recall period with prevalence estimates ranging from 2.9%-59%; prevalence estimates for the past 3 months which ranged from 50%-94.4%; 1 month's recall period with prevalence estimates ranging from 5%-96% and prevalence estimates for the last intercourse experienced ranging from 1%-55%. Condom use during heterosexual AI was generally low and/or inconsistent among female sex workers (FSWs), men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) and some women in the general population. There were no risk factors identified in the study for the inconsistent or low use of condoms during heterosexual AI. Conclusion: Evidence from this study suggests condom use during heterosexual AI could be fairly low especially among groups such as FSWs, MSMW and some women in the general population. Risk factors for using condoms inconsistently or using condoms less during heterosexual AI are not clear. Heterosexual anal intercourse and condom use during the AI practice is generally an under-studied subject in Sub-Saharan Africa. Future studies need to explore on heterosexual AI and condom use practices during AI comprehensively so that there can be concrete evidence on the subject which will inform targeted interventions aimed at reducing HIV among heterosexual populations in SSA

Prevalence of sexual harassment and its relationship with family birth order among female undergraduates: New findings from institutional-based cross-sectional study in the south east, Nigeria

Family is the microcosm of a larger society that provides care that shapes the behavior of children. However, the different levels of attention children receive from their parents may affect their behaviour and self-esteem, which can lead to them being more vulnerable to sexual harassment. An institutional-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from March ­ August 2021, to assess the relationship between family birth order and prevalence of sexual harassment. The multistage sampling procedure was used to draw 1070 participants. The data was analyzed using percentages, mean, and multivariate logistic regression statistics. The multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. The findings revealed prevalence (73.6%) of sexual harassment, and the two forms such as verbal (x= 2.63) and non-verbal sexual harassment (x= 2.56) were high. The multivariate logistic regression odds ratios adjusted shows that the middle born were approximately 2 folds (AOR = 1.62; CI = 1.14 ­ 2.30; P = 0.008 0.05) more likely to predict sexual harassment. The study recommended amongst others that parents in South Eastern Nigeria should refrain from given special attention to a particular child as this may predispose the unfavoured child to sexual harassment

Parenting practices and family relationships during the COVID-19 lockdown in Ghana

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far reaching across almost every sphere of life. Families, which are the basic units of society, have not been spared the ravages of the pandemic. Changes in family daily routines as a result of COVID-19 can affect spousal relationships, parenting and childcare practices. However, the extent to which the pandemic has affected parenting practices and family relationships in Ghana is not known. The goal of this study was to assess how parenting practices and family relationships have been influenced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Data for this paper was drawn from an online questionnaire response from 463 participants in Ghana as a subset analysis from a multi-country study on personal and family coping system with COVID-19 pandemic in the global south. The mean score for pre-COVID-19 relationship with partner (36.86) was higher (p<0.0001) than the mean score for during COVID-19 relationship with partner (35.32) indicating that COVID-19 has had negative influence on relationships. The mean score for pre-COVID-19 parenting (32.78) was higher (p<0.0001) compared to the mean score for during COVID-19 parenting (31.40) indicating negative influence on parenting. We have predicted that participants whose coping levels were "Well" on the average, are likely to be doing well in relationship with partners and parenting practices during the COVID-19 period The challenging public health containment measures of the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively influenced the relationship between partners and parenting practices in Ghana.

Experiences of family caregivers of persons living with mental illness: A meta-synthesis

Background: Meta-synthesis is used to generate and understand new insights from a qualitative perspective. Caregiving is associated with a range of physical and psychological symptoms. Caregivers bear the brunt of caregiving and this has become worse since the inception of de-institutionalisation, as more patients are discharged into the community under the care of their families.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to synthesise phenomenological qualitative studies and create a comprehensive chronicle of phenomena of family caregivers' experiences of caring for relatives living with mental illness.Method: Google Scholar and different electronic databases, which included CINAHL, MEDLINE, EBSCO and PubMed, were searched using keywords for relevant studies published from 1994 to 2014. To obtain an in-depth view of caregivers' lived experiences, a qualitative meta-synthesis was employed to review the findings of 10 studies.Results: A total of 10 studies were included in the meta-synthesis. The family caregivers described their caregiving experiences under four themes: perceived responsibility of caregiving, experiences of emotional effect, experiences of support needs and experiences of changed perspective.Conclusion: The meta-synthesis revealed a lack of emotional coping among the family caregivers. This calls for robust family caregiver interventions to facilitate their mental health

Lived experiences of couples in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness

Background: A partner with mental illness can be challenging in a couple's relationship. Mental illness brings about disintegration in the relationship because the partner without mental illness takes on more responsibilities than before. The partner without mental illness can be subjected to multiple risks, including stress and burden of care. The lived experiences of couples in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness is an under-researched area of mental health.Objectives: To explore and describe the lived experiences of couples in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness.Method: A qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual research design was utilised. A purposive sampling method was used to sample participants for this study. Five couples, where one partner was diagnosed with a mental illness, participated in the study. Ten in-depth, individual, phenomenological interviews were conducted to provide rich descriptions of the couples' experiences. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. An independent coder assisted with the data analysis. A consensus discussion was held between the independent coder and the interviewing researcher to agree on the identified themes.Results: Four themes with categories emerged from the data analysis: couples experienced changed social roles in their relationship, emotional upheaval was experienced by the individual partners in the couple relationship, interpersonal distance was experienced in the couple's relationship and a changed relationship with the self was experienced by the individual partners in the couple relationship.Conclusion: The results concluded that couples experienced that the presence of mental illness in their relationship adversely affects the relationship, thus emphasising the need to empower the couples dealing with challenges of being in a relationship where one partner is diagnosed with a mental illness

Prevalence and Predictors of Elder Abuse in Mafikeng Local Municipality in South Africa

Elder abuse is widespread in South Africa and is a serious public health problem. This paper estimated the prevalence and identified the forms and predictors of elder abuse. The paper used cross-sectional data on 506 elderly people from Mafikeng Local Municipality in South Africa; and used the chi-square statistic and the logistic regression model to analyse the data. Overall 64.3 of men and 60.3 of women experienced elder abuse. Physical abuse was more common among men while emotional; financial and sexual abuses were more common among women. Having no working children; being currently single; living in elderly couple family; living in rural areas; having a poor self-perception of health and having a disability were significantly associated with elder abuse. We conclude that the prevalence of elder abuse is high and common; which calls for strategies to prevent the vice

The Experiences of AIDS Orphans Living in a Township

An overwhelming challenge to health-care professionals today; is the rendering of care services to AIDS orphans. This article is based on a study that explored and described the lived experiences of AIDS orphans in a township in order to understand their 'life world' as AIDS orphans. A further purpose was to provide information to primary health-care nurses (PHCNs); related professionals and partners involved in the care of these children; so that they could plan a care response to meet the orphans' unique needs. A qualitative research design that used an explorative; descriptive; contextual and phenomenological strategy of inquiry was employed. Data were collected by means of in-depth interviews from a purposively selected sample; and were analysed according to the steps of qualitative data analysis proposed by Tesch (Creswell 1994). Guba's model was used to ensure the trustworthiness of the qualitative data. Two main themes and their sub-themes were identified. The first theme was that children experience devastating changes in their life circumstances when they become AIDS orphans. The second theme highlighted how the participants rediscovered hope to persevere. Recommendations directed at nursing practice; education and research; were made based upon the findings

Addressing HIV/AIDS Challenges in Uganda: does Social Capital Generation by NGOs Matter?

HIV/AIDS has had devastating impacts in many countries; Uganda in particular. However; Uganda is depicted as one of the most successful countries in fighting HIV/AIDS. Among others; Uganda's success story is attributed to the open general environment which allows open discussions surrounding HIV/AIDS when other countries such as South Africa and Kenya denied the existence of the disease in their countries. In addition; the success is attributed to the policy which allowed many actors to participate in the fight against the disease. The primary focus of this article is to map the process of social capital generation by NGOs and how social capital benefits enhance mitigation of HIV/AIDS challenges in Uganda. The key to social capital is nurturing relationships. In this regard; HIV/AIDS NGOs play a central role in the way individuals; groups and communities interact; and how various kinds of social relations are forged with people living with HIV/AIDS and especially for those who are HIV infected. NGOs' success in reducing the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Uganda is based on their abilities to generate social capital. This involves inclusion and building social networks and empowerment at the individual and community levels; and disseminating information to reduce social stigma as well as discrimination. We used a mixed-method strategy to collect data for this study. We used a structured questionnaire having quantitative and qualitative question sets which focused on different social capital measurement indicators. We used observations and in-depth face-to-face interviews. A major finding of the study is that the ways individuals and groups are connected and interact with each other are important mechanisms for alleviating HIV/AIDS challenges in Uganda

Family Functioning and Suicidal Ideation/Behaviour in Adolescents: a Pilot Study

Objective: The main aim of this study was to explore the associations between specific aspects of family functioning and adolescent suicidal ideation/behaviour. Method: Participants were 87 high school students (43 male and 44 female) aged between 14 and 16 years of age. They completed a questionnaire measuring various aspects of family functioning and suicidal ideation/behaviour. The specific dimensions of family functioning assessed were: connection; psychological control and behavioural regulation in the parent-adolescent relationship; family conflict and family structure. Results: The results of t-test and chi-square analyses indicated that adolescents who reported suicidal ideation or behaviour in the previous year experienced lower levels of connection and regulation and higher levels of conflict and psychological control in the parent-child relationship than non-suicidal adolescents. Family structure and interparental conflict were not significantly associated with suicidal ideation/behaviour. Conclusions: The quality of relationships between adolescents and both of their parents may be important in distinguishing South African adolescents with recent suicidal ideation/behaviour from non-suicidal

Family communication on HIV/AIDS among secondary school students in a northern state of Nigeria

Most Adolescents in Nigeria; like many others in Africa; are potentially at risk for contracting HIV through unprotected sexual intercourse. Yet the issue of how to help youth avoid risky sexual behaviour through family communication / education on HIV/AIDS is still of serious arguments within the society. This study examines the practice of family communication on HIV / AIDS among secondary school students. A descriptive study using 420 secondary school students selected by multi-stage random sampling was done. Self administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect relevant data. Only 48 (12.1) reported family as the first source of information. However; most of the students 315 (79.7) had family communication on HIV/AIDS with their family members. There is a gender difference in practice of family communication. Significantly higher proportion of the female students had family communication more than their male counterparts. The educational status of the parents significantly determined whether or not a student had family communication on HIV/AIDS. There is considerable level of family communication in the study population which should be encouraged further to cut across all members of the family

Alterations in Family Psychodynamics Following a Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Placement

Background: The emotional stress of a young couple whose child has hydrocephalus can be immense. When a shunt has to be inserted without the parents being thoroughly educated on every aspect of the procedure; the situation can be overwhelming and significant psychosocial problems can develop. Aim: To report the case of behavioural change in the father of a hydrocephalic child who underwent shunt placement and the threat of family collapse due to misconceptions about the procedure. Method : The records of the child; including history; examination; investigations and treatment were evaluated. The mother was extensively interviewed during follow-up out-patient visits. Relevant literature on shunt complications was reviewed. Result: Following shunt insertion for hydrocephalus in an only child of a young couple born after 3 years of marriage; the father started withdrawing from his family and gradually began to manifest symptoms of depressive illness. Recommendations: The parents of every child scheduled to have shunt insertion should be properly counselled together on all aspects of the procedure preoperatively. This would help ensure that any consent given is on the basis of their mutual understanding and acceptance of the situation. Where problems are anticipated; it might be necessary to take pre-emptive measures to forestall their occurrence

Family predictors of adolescent substance use: the case of high school students in the Cape Metropolitan Area, Cape Town, South Africa

Family predictors of tobacco and alcohol use were studied in random samples of school-going Black; Coloured; and White adolescents (total N=1;800) in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area. The subjects ranged in age from 14 to 17 years; with a mean age of 15.95 years. Logistic regression analysis of the data showed invariance across the three racial groups in terms of the specific family variables that were predictive; as well as their direction and magnitude of association with substance use. Essentially; higher rates of substance use for all three groups were predicted by parental behavioural control; parental monitoring/knowledge and limit setting; marital relations and family stress. The findings extend the work on South African adolescent substance use by providing a view into the proximal (family) socialising forces that are related to substance use. The findings also extend the broader work on identifying specialised effects of dimensions of socialization on adolescent functioning. The discussion section includes commentary on the cultural invariance found when measuring socialising forces at this level of generality