Awareness of care needed for autistic children among their mothers

Lack of knowledge and awareness about childhood autism is the major barrier to improving the health and wellbeing of children affected by autism in this environment. Aim: the study aimed to assess the mothers' awareness of care needed for their autistic children and to identify the effect of an educational program on their knowledge and practices regarding autism. Design, a quasi experimental research design was used to conduct this study. Setting, the study was conducted at Psychiatric Out-Patient, Pediatric Clinic, in El-Abbassia Psychiatric Mental Health Hospital. Sampling, a sample of 100 mothers having children with autism was selected in the period from June to November, 2010. Tools for data collection, Socio-demographic data sheet for both children and their mothers as age, gender, educational level, occupation. Questionnaire sheet developed by the researchers to assess knowledge of mothers about autism it contains items related to [meaning, causes, symptoms, treatment of autism, social and emotional needs of their children]. Findings, the study results revealed that, more than half of the autistic children [68%] aged between 8-12 years and less than three-fourth of them [72%] were male. As regard educational level, 41% were at the primary level and more than eighty percent [84%] were 3 or more rank order. Twenty percent of the study subjects have knowledge regarding meaning of autism, in relation to signs and symptoms of autism, less than half of the study sample having knowledge about signs and symptoms of autistic children ,while about one quarters of the participants having knowledge for social needs regarding autistic children Conclusion: education on childhood autism is needed and can be provided through continuing education and emphasizing childhood autism in their training curriculum Recommendation, nurses should receive adequate training courses in children care physically, emotionally and socially. In order to improve their skills in health education for mothers toward their children care

Factors influencing relapse of schizophrenic psychiatric outpatients in el- Abbasia Mental Hospital

Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder represents a serious public health problem. Relapse in schizophrenia is broadly recognized as the reemergence or the worsening of psychotic symptoms. The success of managing mental illness in the community relies on the rehabilitation approach and adequate availability of resources. the study aimed to identify and describe factors influencing relapse among psychiatric outpatients. A quantitative, descriptive design using a questionnaire was used in this study. The study was conducted at Psychiatric Out- Patient clinics, El- Abbasia Mental Hospital. A sample of 92 family caregivers who were relatives of schizophrenic psychiatric patients receiving their monthly medications from psychiatric Out- patient clinics, El- Abbasia Mental Hospital. In the period from June to August, 2010. Tools for data collection: A questionnaire was used to collect data .The questionnaire subdivided into two sections. Section A: dealt with demographic information, related to, age, gender, relationship between the family members income .ect. Section B: dealt with the factors influencing relapse it divided to the following subheading: namely: [1] factors affecting the patients e.g. adherence to psychotropic drugs, [2] individual factors, [3] social factors, [4] family perceptions of access issues, and [5] social stigma. It is five likert scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Around 41% of respondents disagree that smoking does not influence treatment, Sixty eight percent of the respondents agree that the mentally ill have poor communication skills, Seventy one percent of the respondents agree that it is difficult to go to the clinic for consultation because of the distance and fifty four percent of the respondents agree that it is better to institutionalize the mentally ill so that they stay away. the study findings concluded that, relapse leading to re-admissions is influenced by several factors, which included side effects of drugs, problems with adherence, lack of family commitment or role, and gender. Educating the family about the importance of caring for their mentally ill and showing them love is very important. This includes supervising patient when taking treatment and educating them about the importance of regular visits to the clinic for their appointments. It is also important for families to take care of all the matters relating to patient health

Intimate partner violence and life satisfaction among women in two different Arab countries: Egypt [Cairo] and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [Riyadh]

Intimate partner violence [IPV] is a global public health problem that violates fundamental human rights of women. Although intimate partner violence has been reported to be common, the magnitude of the violence and consequences are not usually identified and reported .Therefore; this study aimed at estimating the prevalence of IPV and its impact on life satisfaction in two community-based samples from Egypt Cairo governorate and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA] [Riyadh].a comparative design was utilized in this study. A convenient sample consisted of 200 women was recruited, 100 women from each community. The study was carried out in two different settings, the Gynecological Out-patient Clinic at El- Manial University Hospital [Cairo] and the Out-patient Clinic of Maternal and Child Health [MCH] Centre [Riyadh]. Tools for data collection included the following: 1] Interview questionnaire sheet, includes subject's socio -demographic characteristics 2] Intimate Partner Violence [IPV] questionnaire, Hassan [2003] and 3] Life Satisfaction Questionnaire [LSQ]. El-Dosouki [1998] Results of this study revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding to socio-demographic characteristics. Prevalence of IPV was 74% in Egyptian group and 34% in the Saudi group [p <0.001]. In Egyptian group, psychological IPV was the most frequent [72%], followed by sexual [63%] then physical violence [29%]. The same ranking was seen in Saudi group with frequencies of 31%, 20% and 14%, respectively. However, sexual IPV was more frequent in the Egyptian group [p = 0.003]. There was a significant negative correlation between the total score of IPV and the LSQ score [r =-0.582]. IPV of all aspects was within the global figures. Low Income and large number of children were the two main factors associated with higher prevalence of IPV. The IPV is a real public health problem that necessitates counseling and out-reach program as well as social and economic solutions, the study recommended that organizations for violence against women should be activated to identify, screen, counsel and refer for appropriate services