ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#According to the fact that women account for the highest rate of victims of mental health loss during disasters, prioritization of their requirements is of remarkable significance. Therefore, the present study was carried out with the aim to prioritize factors related to women's mental health during an earthquake.@*METHODS@# This study was conducted using the Delphi method in 2017. Participants consisted of experts including psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists, social medicine specialists, and psychiatric-mental health nurses with experience in service and disaster awareness, especially earthquake. They were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. The Delphi method was used in 2 rounds with 21 components and the final attendance of 19 participants and the collective agreement of 75%.@*RESULTS@# Of the 21 factors related to women's mental health during the earthquake, the following components were, respectively, preferred by the participants: psychological well-being training, group relationships and support of women in emergency situations, fair treatment in the provision of rights and services to women, crisis awareness and management of behavior and difficult conditions, and social security during disasters with the total mean standard deviation (SD) of 13.4 (2.4), 13.0 (2.4), 12.7 (2.5), 12.5 (2.4), and 12.3 (2.2), respectively.@*CONCLUSION@# Training in the field of psychology and disasters, and social and cultural factors were prioritized among factors related to women's mental health during an earthquake. Therefore, the results of this study can be applied by the planners and executives of mental health, women and disasters, and the women's community itself.
ABSTRACT
Iran has experienced a great variation in women's status in recent years. There is a little knowledge on how and why advancing gender equality and equity and the empowerment of women play a role in recent fertility reduction in the country. This study was conducted to gain insight into the role of gender beliefs and women's empowerment in the couples 'experiences of fertility in Mashhad, Iran in 2011-2012. In this exploratory qualitative study in-depth interviews were conducted with 54 purposefully selected eligible male and female participants and some key informants who lived in urban society of Mashhad. Data was collected until saturation was happened and analyzed adopting conventional content analysis approach through giving analytical codes and identification of categories using MAXqda software. Study rigor verified via prolonged engagement, thick description and validation of anlysis through member check. Findings from data analysis demonstrated three major categories about the influence of women's empowerment and gender role on fertility experiences including: 1] The couple's understanding of gender roles 2] Women's empowerment and changing gender roles 3] Couple's interactions in complementary or parallel roles and 4] Fulfillment of fertility goals based on role division. Some aspects of couples' interaction including equal roles in fertility decisions, choosing and using best fit family planning method and participative child care influenced couples' fertility behavior. Women's empowerment together with balanced gender role in the family resulted in success in attaining couple's fertility desire. Managing fertility behaviors needs to understand the roles of spouses in their mutual interaction in fertility decision making and related behaviors. Imbalanced gender role in family acts as an obstacle to reach the fertility goals and leads to lower than desired fertility. Reproductive health policy makers and family planning counselors could apply the findings of this study in order to publicize proper fertility behaviors through making the couples aware of the risks of gender role imbalance
ABSTRACT
Recently, the relevance of social interactions as determinants of behavioral intentions has been increasingly perceived, but there is a lack of knowledge on how and why it interacts with couples' fertility intentions. This qualitative study was conducted to explore the influence of social network on couples' intention to have their first child in urban society of Mashhad, Iran in 2011. In this exploratory qualitative study in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 participants including 14 fertile women, two parents, three husbands and five midwives and health care providers. The sample was selected purposively in urban health centers, homes and workplaces until data saturation was achieved. Data analysis was carried out adopting conventional content analysis approach through giving analytical codes and identification of categories using MAXqda software. Study rigor verified via prolonged engagement, validation of codes through member check and peer debriefing. Findings from data analysis demonstrated four major categories about social network's influence on couples' intention to have their first child including 1] perception of fertility relevant social network, 2] occurrence of various types of social influence 3] subjective judgment to the benefits of social network and its fitness to personal life, and 4] couples' interaction with social network. Managing the fertility behaviors need to include the consideration of personal social networks surrounding the couples. It is important to apply the study findings in providing family planning services and dissemination of appropriate fertility behaviors through community-based reproductive health care delivery system
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Intention , Delivery of Health Care , Reproductive Health Services , Family Planning Services , Family Characteristics , ContraceptionABSTRACT
Breast cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies among Iranian women. These patients suffer from a wide range of physical and mental [depression, anxiety and stress] signs and symptoms during the diagnostic and therapeutic processes. Despite the improvement in survival rates due to advances in medical care, different types of psychosocial interventions are still growingly needed considering the increasing number of cancer patients with longer survival times. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of relaxation on depression, anxiety and stress in women who underwent mastectomy for breast cancer. This clinical trial was conducted during about 4.5 months in a referral chemotherapy clinic of a teaching hospital in Isfahan, Iran. The participants consisted of 48 breast cancer patients who were selected by simple random sampling. They were randomly assigned into two groups of control and case. The control group was treated only by usual medical therapy, whereas the case group was treated by combined medical-relaxation therapy. Data collection tools were the validated Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale [DASS42] and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS using descriptive statistics, repeated measures analysis of variance [ANOVA], chi-square test and paired t-test. The baseline mean scores of depression, anxiety and stress were not significantly different between the case and control groups. However, the scores in the case group improved significantly after the treatment [p < 0.05]. On the contrary, such improvement was not seen in the control group. Relaxation therapy can be effective in the improvement of depression, anxiety and stress. Therefore, it can be recommended as an effective care program in patients with malignant disorders.
ABSTRACT
Cancer and its treatments have a significant effect on the Quality of Life [QoL] of people who suffer from cancer. Nursing consultation involving cancer survivors might be beneficial for other patients as they successfully managed and lived with cancer. But controversies still exist in the research findings as how nursing consultation involving cancer survivors might influence other cancer patients' QoL. Therefore, a research study was done to determine the effect of nursing consultation with the presence of cancer survivors on cancer patients' QoL. The study was a quasi-experimental research using a pre-post test design, which was conducted in Sayyed- AL-Shohada Hospital affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2010. Twenty-two adult patients who suffered from acute leukemia who were receiving chemotherapy were selected. They participated in a nursing consultation group in which cancer survivors were actively engaged. The patients' QoL was assessed before, 1 week, and 1 month after the nursing consultation using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core-30 Version 3 [EORTC QLQ-C30-V3] questionnaire. Comparing QoL mean scores of patients in the symptom, performance, and the general health status scales showed that there was not any significant change in the QoL scores before, 1 week, and 1 month after the consultation. It seems that the nursing consultation with the presence of cancer survivors couldn't enhance patients' QoL, although it might prevent worsening the patients' QoL. Cancer has deleterious impacts on patients' QoL and nursing consultation may not improve QoL in a short period of time. It is recommended that the study be conducted with a larger sample, in a longer time and with a case-control design.
ABSTRACT
One of the most frequent issues nurses encounter with after or during cancer-related surgeries is pain. For postoperative pain relief, different nonpharmacologic interventions, such as nurse-patient communication, mental support, preoperative education, and consultation can be used. Doing such interventions may decrease postoperative pain. However, the research results regarding the effect of such measurements on pain intensity is contradictory. So in this research study the effect of a pain management plan on pain intensity after cancer surgery was assessed. The present study is a pre- and posttest case and control clinical trial, which was conducted in Sayyed- Al-Shohada Hospital of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2011. Care program consisted of pain education, communication with the patient, and pain measurement. Seventy patients were sampled based on the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned in 2 groups. Data were collected using American Pain Society-patient outcome questionnaire, which measured pain intensity. In the experimental group, the mean score of pain intensity before surgery and in the first 12-24 h after surgery was less than the control group. Also comparing pain intensity mean differences before and in the first 12 h, before and in the first 24 h indicated that the experimental group had lower scores than the control group, but these differences were not statistically significant. In both the groups, in the first 24 h following surgery the mean score of pain intensity decreased significantly. Results of the present research study suggested that a nursing pain management program consisting consultation, education, and pain assessment may have a clinical effect on cancer patient pain intensity following surgery. However, these results were not statistically significant. This might be due to the limited sample size as well as conducting the program in a short period of time. It is recommended that effects of such a program on the pain intensity will be examined further with a larger sample and in a longer period of time.