ABSTRACT
Background: Designing a valid and reliable questionnaire that allows a fair evaluation of sexual knowledge and attitudes and develop a proper sexual educational program is necessary
Objective: The present study was designed to develop and psychometric evaluation of the sexual knowledge and attitudes scale for premarital couples
Materials and Methods: An exploratory mixed method study was conducted in two phases; in the first, in order to develop a questionnaire an item pool was generated on sexual knowledge and attitudes through focus group discussions and individual interviews. In the second phase, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were examined. For this purpose, face validity, content validity as well as construct validity were conducted. Reliability was assessed by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient to assess internal consistency and test-retest reliability
Results: In the first phase an item pool with 88 questions was generated [sexual knowledge 45 items and sexual attitudes 43 items]. In the second phase, the number of final items reduced to 33 and 34 items of sexual knowledge and sexual attitudes respectively, through exploratory factor analysis [EFA]. Five factors for sexual knowledge and six factors for sexual attitudes identified by EFA. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for two sections was 0.84 and 0.81 respectively. The test- retest correlations for sexual knowledge and sexual attitude was 0.74 and 0.82 respectively
Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Premarital Couples is a valid and reliable instrument. Further studies are needed to establish stronger psychometric properties for the questionnaire
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The diseases and problems due to ageing can affect the quality of life [QoL] in the elderly. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of self-care program education run by health volunteers and healthcare staff on the QoL in the elderly
Methods: In this experimental, field trial study, 150 elderly people living in Mashhad were enrolled by multistage sampling in 2014. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups of 50 individuals in each; group A was educated by healthcare staff at healthcare centers, group B by health volunteers at the elderly's homes, and group C was control. The intervention groups [A and B] attended two independent self-care education programs for one month. The data were gathered by the SF-36 questionnaire administered before and one month after the completion of the program. Data analysis was done by descriptive statistics [mean [standard deviation]] and analytical statistics [independent samples t-test and Kruskal-Wallis H-test]
Results: QoL score of the groups A, B, and C was derived 45.44 +/- 23.87, 45.36 +/- 23.81, and 45.38 +/- 23.83 before the intervention and 48.79 +/- 22.09, 63.15 +/- 19.03, and 46.08 +/- 22.67 after the intervention, respectively. The QoL score of the group B was significantly higher than the other two groups [p < 0.05] after the intervention. Besides that, after the intervention, the mean scores of QoL and physical function, role-physical, role-emotional, social function, bodily pain, and general health increased significantly more markedly in the group B compared with the other two groups
Conclusion: Self-care education by the health volunteers was much more effective than that by healthcare staff. In addition, implementing the self-care education program contributed to improving QoL and therefore life satisfaction in the elderly
ABSTRACT
After many years of teaching, both the efficiency and efficacy of communication skills programs are under question because patients' dissatisfaction with doctors' communication behavior is at the top of the complaint lists. It is assumed that finding the specific role of different determinants of doctors' communication behavior, instructional designers can plan more effective training programs. This study aims to explore the predictive value of interns' knowledge and self-efficacy in building effective relationship with patients and determine the causal relationship between interns' knowledge and self-efficacy about effective doctor-patient relationship. In this cross-sectional study, PRECEDE model was applied and the analyzed content from semi-structured interviews with 7 interns and 14 faculty members was combined with the items from literature review. All the emerged items were categorized under eight constructs of social cognitive theory. The validity and reliability of the items of the research questionnaire were examined by 40 interns and an expert panel of 14 faculty members. The questionnaires were completed by 203 medical interns and confirmatory factor analysis [CFA] was done on the items. The data were analyzed by SPSS.21 and LISREL 8.80. CFA indicated a good fit to the data. Knowledge and self-efficacy, together, explained 23 percent of the variance in interns' communicative behavior. 53 percent of the changes in interns' self-efficacy were attributed to the changes in interns' knowledge. Improving the interns' shared vision can increase the quality of their knowledge and instructional designs based on learning facts, and gaining insights about effective doctor-patient relationship can increase the interns' self-efficacy and consequently improve the interns' communication skills
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Knowledge , Self Efficacy , Communication , Physician-Patient Relations , Cross-Sectional StudiesABSTRACT
Smoking is the cause for many preventable deaths worldwide. The rate of smoking has not increased in Iran in the past two decades, but its increase among adolescents and young adults is a concern. This study investigates the risk factors of initiation and continuation of smoking in Iran using a qualitative approach. This is a qualitative content analysis study conducted on 12 smokers and 6 non-smokers in 4 selected cities in Iran. Data were collected with deep and semi-structured interviews, verbatim transcription and simultaneously coding. Then, they were analyzed through content analysis. Three themes and 16 subcategories emerged. The themes were personal inefficacy with 6 subgroups included inadequate information, low age, curiosity, consideration of smoking not as a major problem, wrong beliefs, and making reasons. Family inefficacy with 4 subgroups included poor authority, lack of reaction, existence of stressors, and history of smoking. Vulnerable social environment with 6 subgroups included poverty, social stressors, magnification of smoking, network of cigarette smoking, smoking as a norm and convenience of access. Recognition of smoking among children, modification of wrong beliefs about smoking, empowerment of the individuals against smoking from the very childhood, consideration of familial stress and crisis, and ultimately, paying attention to the role of social variables will play a major role in prevention of smoking and encouraging individuals to quit smoking
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Qualitative ResearchABSTRACT
Background: There is an absence of a valid and reliable tool basedon a field study for predictingfactors related to dental caries in adolescents. Also the lack of preventivemodels of tooth decay has been perceived. The aim of thisstudy was to design preventive models by assessing psychometric properties of questionnaire of predictive factors for dental caries inadolescents using factor analysis.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical research was done in 2013-14onadolescents who lived in Tehran city.First, model and questionnaire of predictive factors for dental caries in adolescents were designed based on qualitative research using grounded theory. Using systematic samplings, 607 studentsand 400 students [12 and 16 years old] were selected for Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis respectively. The reliability of the questionnairewas calculated by two different
methods: Cronbach'salphaand test-retest. Also, in order to determine the validity of the scale, we used three methods including face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Exploratoryand ConfirmatoryFactorAnalysis were done bySPSS softwareversion 16 and LISLER softwareversion 8.8 respectively. Finally, appropriate models for preventing of tooth decay were presented.
Results: During exploratory factor analysis, eightfactors developed: behavioral factors, fear, social support, motivational beliefs, role of school, instructive elements, socio economic status, and value of teeth. Results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the eightfactor model for preventing of dental caries fit Iranian adolescents and the four-factor model isthe strongest predictor of oral health behaviorwhich foresees 76% of behaviors related to oral and dental health.Also test-retest scoreobtained 0.74 and internal consistency was 0.85.
Conclusion:Based on the results of this study, the validity and reliability of the38-item questionnaires of predictive factors for dental caries in adolescents is acceptable and suitable. Therefore the presented models can be used in designing educational programs. Also this tool can be applied in future researches and different groups of students.
ABSTRACT
Objective: Various factors affect dental caries and impact the patterns of dental care. A few studies have been conducted to identify these factors from the perspectives of students. This study aimed to explore factors influencing dental caries from students' perspectives
Methods: A qualitative design using content analysis approach was conducted to collect the perspectives of 18 Iranian students who were studying in 8 guidance schools. They were chosen through purposive sampling. Semi- structured private interviews and focus groups were held for data gathering. The tape-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an inductive content analysis approach. In order to support the validity and rigor of the data, different trustworthiness criteria such as acceptability, confirm ability and transferability were considered
Results: During data analysis, four main categories were developed: "difficult conditions of care", "disability in caring", "uncontrollability of dental caries" and "intangible sense of the factors causing dental caries"
The participants more emphasized their own experiences about having insufficient dental-oral care, not paying attention to oral health, dental fear and the lack of both knowledge and competency regarding this issue
Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed factors influencing dental caries from students' perspectives and emphasized the roles of individual, parent, dentist and community in this respect
The findings of this study can be considered to be a valuable basis to design oral health interventions. However, more studies are required to improve our understanding of dental fear and denote barriers and social beliefs pertinent to oral health in different groups of students?
ABSTRACT
The prevalence of depression especially among youths is increasingly high. The present study is aimed to identify some demographic and psychological factors such as self efficacy and perceived stress that may be related to depression among male adolescents. Overall, 402 adolescent were selected for participation in the study using multistage sampling method. The participants completed a questionnaire including demographic, depression, self efficacy, and perceived stress data. A multiple regression analysis and the Pearson correlation test were used for data analysis. SPSS version 17 software was used for performing analyses. The mean age of the adolescents was 15.44 [SD = 0.68] years. The total mean score of depression was 16.02 +/- 9.14 and 153 [38.1%] of participants showed depressive symptoms. Results showed that high levels of depression were associated with low level of self efficacy and high level of perceived stress; also some demographic variables such as fathers' job and academic situation can be related to depression among male adolescents. Self efficacy and perceived stress can be related to depression but the role of stress and self efficacy in the etiology and forming of depression in adolescent are discussed. Therefore, more studies for approval of these associations should be considered
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Depression/psychology , Adolescent , Demography , PrevalenceABSTRACT
Over the past few decades, quality of life [QOL] has become an important concept in medical researches and treatments. Different meaningful reasons are given for this development. In the current research two standard questionnaires for evaluating of QOL were selected. First one, was a questionnaire from The World Health Organization [WHOQOL-BREF 26] and the second one, The Iranian Diabetics' Quality of Life [IRDQOL]. The goal of this study is to assess the relation between different domains of these questionnaires and HbA1c in diabetics. A random sample of Iranian adult outpatient diabetics [n=76] was selected and they completed the WHOQOL and IRDQOL assessment instruments. In addition HbA1c was measured in these patients by calorimetric method. Comparisons were made between scores of "questionnaires' domains" and "HbA1c". Data analysis was carried out by the use of T-test, Spearman correlation coefficient, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and non-parametric statistical methods including Spearman correlation coefficient. Data analysis shows Psychological domain score in IRDQOL is lower than in WHOQOL and it is significant [P<0.0001]. Physical domain score in IRDQOL is lower than WHOQOL and it is significant [P<0.0001]. In WHOQOL questionnaire, analysis data showed when the patient's age increased, physical and psychological domain's score decreased. There is probably no relation between questionnaire domains and HbA1c in diabetics. Based on the findings in this research, there was obviously almost no difference between the two questionnaires for checking the QOL, but in IRDQOL spiritual domain is a very unreliable domain