[Color preferences for nurses' uniform from nurses, hospitalized 5-12 years old children and parents' perspectives]

There is a growing movement towards more casual uniforms within pediatric Nursing. The study aimed at assessing the color preferences of nurses, parents and children regarding nurses' uniform in selected university hospitals of Tehran City. A cross sectional study was conducted. Through non-randomized convenient sampling, 365 pediatric nurses, 744 pediatric patients and 480 parents, drawn from selected university hospitals of Tehran City were recruited to the study, during one year since 2007, summer. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting demographic data and two questions regarding the participants' color preferences. Five photos showing a nurse with different uniform colors [pink, white, light blue, dark blue and colorful] while checking a child's pulse were used. Descriptive and inferential statistics [analysis of variance with repeated measurement, chi-square and Cochran's test] were used to analysis the data by SPSS software [version 11.5]. Female children and their parents reported pink color as their first choice [45.2 and 45.6% respectively] while boys preferred light blue [31.4%]. The first choice of nurses was dark blue [42.2%] which 10.6% of mothers and 17.6% of girls liked it as well [P<0.001]. Nurses with less than ten years of nursing experience, preferred dark blue [49.1 vs. 32.9%; P=0.002]. Fathers preferences of colors were not statistically significant [P=0.017]. Pink and light blue were most preferred by children and their parents to dark blue of nurses. The study recommends changing the color of nurses'uniforms in pediatric wards, considering children and their parents' perspectives

[Effect of parents' shift work on strengths and behavioral problems of their children, aged 7-12 years old, among shift workers of private and university hospitals in Tehran city]

Shift work and rotational shift schedule interrupt interaction of the parents with their children. As shift workers [nurses, midwives, enrolled nurses, nurse aid and operating rooms' technicians] are obliged to have shift words, the present study designed to assess the effects of their shift word on strengths and behavioral problems of their children, aged 7-12 years among shift workers of private and university hospitals in Tehran city. Using a cross sectional study design, 489 shift workers drawn from private and university hospitals in Tehran city were selected along with their children's teachers. Data were collected using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ], specific to parents and teachers including scales of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems and prosocial behaviors. All statistics were computed by the SPSS software using chi-square, logistic regression [stepwise method], and spearman and ANOVA tests. No significant relationships were found between parents' shift with strengths and difficulties problems of their children based on their self-reported questionnaire. It was revealed that some of demographic factors have significant correlations with the scales such as number of children and their gender with conduct problems, parents educational level, gender, their shift work schedule, history of physical/psychiatric diseases of children with emotional symptoms and parents' educational degree with hyperactivity/inattention, parents' gender. History of morning-evening and evening-night and rotational shifts with peer relationship problems and finally parents' gender and history of rotational shifts with prosocial behaviors. The study didn't demonstrate impact of shift work on behavioral problems of shift workers' children. However, behavioral and emotional problems of the children were correlated with some of their parents' demographic and job related factors which calls for considering it among shift workers of nursing profession

[Causes of suicide in married women]

Suicide is an intentional death that occurs three times in women to men. Nurses can influence in presentation of educational program and consultation in school, job environment and home as well as detection of person who suspected to suicide. This study has conducted to determine the causes of suicide in married women. This investigation is a descriptive study that has been made among women who admitted to Loghmanoddole-Adham poisoning emergency center in Tehran, Iran [the only poisoning emergency center in Tehran] during one year [from December 2001 to December 2002]. Inclusion criteria were female, married, without history of medical, mental disorders and confession to suicide. Data were collected by a questionnaire and interview and were analyzed with descriptive statistics and a chi-square test. According to the result, there was statistically significant differences between age groups, living areas, educational levels, jobs and financially states. 37.4% of women had forced marry; 50.5% had feared of their husband; 67.7% had experienced husband's violence; 74.7% didn't know any supportive sources in the society. 82.8% of women used of medications [tablets] for suicide. This research showed that family violence and marital conflict are the most important etiology of suicide in the women. Nurses can decrease of acting to suicide in married women with detection of family violence, increasing of clients' self-esteem, referring and follow up