Pain characteristics of older residents in Iranian nursing homes

Background: Pain is a common complaint among the aging population, particularly among the older residents of nursing homes.

Aims: The main aim of the study was to examine the pain characteristics among older residents of nursing homes in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 394 older adults admitted to Tehran nursing homes. To gather the required data, Brief Pain Inventory and Abbreviated Mental Test score were used.

Results: 51% of the female and 26% of the male participants suffered from pain. Lower extremity and lower part of back were the most frequently affected. Pain interfered with general activity [P < 0.001], mood [P = 0.016], walking [P < 0.001], normal work [P < 0.001], relations with others [P = 0.043], sleeping [P = 0.002] and enjoyment of life [P = 0.019] of the older residents and these effects were more prominent in female sex. Factors such as age, gender and schooling were of significant relationships with pain [P < 0.001] and its intensity [P <0.001].

Conclusions: Chronic pain is common among older residents of nursing homes and deteriorates their quality of life. This study reconfirms the previously mentioned importance of using effective pain evaluation and pain management strategies in nursing homes.

Emotional intelligence and occupational stress among rehabilitation staffs working in Tehran's training hospitals

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence and occupational stress among rehabilitation staffs in Tehran's training hospitals. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 169 staff members selected from a total of 300 rehabilitation staffs working in Tehran's training hospitals, recruited by random cluster sampling. Two questionnaires were used: The emotional intelligence questionnaire designed by Petrides and Furnham and HSE occupational stress questionnaire. Data obtained from this study were analyzed using Pearson's correlation and multiple regression tests. An inverse significant relationship existed between occupational stress and emotional intelligence [P<0.001, r=-0.33]. There are, also, significant relationships between subscales of emotional intelligence including self-awareness [P=0.031, r=-0.18], social skills [P<0.001, r=-0.302], empathy [P=0.006, r=-0.238] and occupational stress. The results of multiple regressions indicated that the two subscales of 'understanding other's emotions' and 'social skills' can be used for predicting occupational stress. This study confirmed the relationship between emotional intelligence and occupational stress. Promotion of emotional intelligence through implementing training courses may lower rehabilitation staffs occupational stress or prevent it

Experiences Living with Fatigue in Iranian Veterans Chemically Injured by Sulfur Mustard Gas: A Phenomenological Study

PURPOSE: Fatigue affects the quality of life. Evidence shows that the phenomenon of fatigue is experienced differently depending on the type of disease and its consequences. The aim of the study was to explicate the meanings of the experience of living with fatigue in chemically injured veterans. METHODS: The hermeneutic phenomenology approach was used in this study, with an emphasis on Van Mennen's viewpoint and approach. According to Van Mennen, six overlapping dynamic activities are recommended to conduct a phenomenological study. During unstructured interviews, the participants were asked to describe their daily living experiences with fatigue. The participants were individuals who were chemically injured due to exposure to mustard gas. After examining every statement in the interview text, extractions of the meaning units, clustering, and themes were performed. RESULTS: The data explication was based on the third to sixth stages of Van Mennen's approach. The experience living with fatigue was classified into four essential themes: fatigue as a chronic condition, as an unstable and affected situation, as a physical condition of the entire individual, and as a mental condition of the entire individual. CONCLUSION: Due to unique social interactions and pathogenicity, victims of mustard gas experience fatigue differently than patients with other chronic diseases.

[Psychometric properties of the Iranian version of the Facts on Aging Quiz [FAQI]]

Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of an Iranian version of the Palmore's Questionnaire called Facts on Aging Quiz [FAQI]

Methods: The psychometric properties including face validity, content validity, construct validity, internal consistency, and test- retest reliability were measured in 280 nurses who were working in the emergency, medical, and surgical wards of 5 randomly selected general hospitals associated with medical schools in Tehran

Results: The results of known groups' comparisons showed that this questionnaire could successfully discriminate between subgroups of nurses with different prior work experiences with the elderly and/ or had the experience of living with older people in the family. The internal consistency [Cronbach's alpha] was 0.81. Test-retest reliability [ICC] of the questionnaire with interval time of two weeks was 0.98[P<0.001]

Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, the Farsi-version of FAQ 1 is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring nurses' knowledge about older people. We concluded that the FAQI appears to be a promising tool, providing reliable and valid data helping to detect knowledge among nurses in different settings such as clinical settings, and research environments by health care providers and researchers

effectiveness of a group counselirig program on the mental health of parents of hearing impaired children

Most of the studies indicates that the parents of the hearing impaired children show many mental health problems after the diagnosis of their children's hearing impairment. Counselling with the parents of the hearing impaired children is one of the most important goals of any early intervention program. This paper describes a study to determine the effectiveness of a group counselling programme for parents of hearing impaired children. It was a semi-experimental study with a single group pretest-post test design. The participants were all the parents of hearing impaired children attending in an early intervention center. First the parents' mental health were assessed.Then the group counselling program was implemented. Program has involved six weekly 1.5 hour sessions. The format of each session included both lecture presentation and group discussion using cognitive behavioral procedure. Subjects were assessed before and immediately after group therapy by means of Genœf al Health Questionnaire [GHQ] and Symptom Check List 90 [SCL-90] questionnaires. The first part of the project had shown that over the half of the parents had considerable psychosocial morbidity. Comparisons showed a significant reduction from pretreatment to posttreatment in depression, anxiety and most of other psychological problems. The study supports the effectiveness of group therapy programs in the treatment of parents of hearing impaired children. Concerning the progress of early detection programs for the children's hearing impairment more studies should be done in the field of counseling with their parents