Turkish Version of Kolcaba's Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire: A Validity and Reliability Study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Immobilization Comfort Questionnaire (ICQ). METHODS: The sample used in this methodological study consisted of 121 patients undergoing lower extremity arthroscopy in a training and research hospital. The validity study of the questionnaire assessed language validity, structural validity and criterion validity. Structural validity was evaluated via exploratory factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated by assessing the correlation between the visual analog scale (VAS) scores (i.e., the comfort and pain VAS scores) and the ICQ scores using Spearman's correlation test. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient and Bartlett's test of sphericity were used to determine the suitability of the data for factor analysis. Internal consistency was evaluated to determine reliability. The data were analyzed with SPSS version 15.00 for Windows. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. A p value < or =.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A moderate positive correlation was found between the ICQ scores and the VAS comfort scores; a moderate negative correlation was found between the ICQ and the VAS pain measures in the criterion validity analysis. Cronbach alpha values of .75 and .82 were found for the first and second measurements, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study reveal that the ICQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the comfort of patients in Turkey who are immobilized because of lower extremity orthopedic problems.

effect of marital violence on infertility distress among a sample of Turkish women

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between marital violence and distress level among women with a diagnosis of infertility. This cross-sectional study consisted of 139 married women diagnosed as primary infertile who applied to an in vitro fertilization [IVF] center in Turkey, between September and December 2009. A descriptive information questionnaire developed by the researcher was used for data collection. In addition, an infertility distress scale [IDS] for determining the severity effect of infertility and the scale for marital violence against women [SDVW] for determining level of marital violence against the women were used. The total IDS score of the study sample was 37.76 +/- 10.53. There was no significant relationship between the age and education level of the women and the total IDS score. The total IDS score was higher in women who did not work and those being treated for infertility for more than three years. The total SDVW score of the study sample was 67.0 +/- 8.26. The total SDVW score was higher in women who had been trying to have a child for more than six years and had received infertility treatment for longer than three years. The employment status of the women and physical, emotional, and sexual violence scores had a statistically significant relationship with the IDS scores. The emotional violence score was found to have the highest significance among the variables affecting total IDS score. Marital violence is a factor increasing the distress of infertile women. Healthcare staff serving infertile couples should consider the possibility of domestic violence against women as a factor affecting the psychological infertility distress level

survey on oocyte donation: Turkish fertile and infertile women's opinions

There are various treatment options for infertility, and new techniques are also being developed as it is an important healthcare problem affecting approximately 15-20% of married couples. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of information of fertile and infertile Turkish women on oocyte donation in order to understand their awareness of the legal, ethical, social and religious issues regarding this technique and to compare these two groups in terms of these variables. This cross-sectional study included infertile women being treated at the assisted reproductive technologies [ART] program of a university hospital and women who had presented at the gynecology outpatients department of the same university for routine check-ups and who had no previous history of infertility. After consulting with specialists in the field and searching the related literature, a data collection form having 22 questions for infertile women and 18 questions for fertile women was prepared. The women were asked whether they would use the oocytes of another woman if necessary. The results showed that 67.6% of the fertile women said they would never want to use this method, while 63.9% of the infertile women stated they may accept to use this method under certain conditions [two distinct answers appeared in the answers, some women stated they would prefer donated oocytes from close relatives, while others stated they would prefer oocytes from total strangers], such as from a close relative or from someone they do not know at all. Infertile women mentioned that they could use illegal routes if necessary to have a child at much higher rates than stated by fertile women. This shows that desire to have a child is a strong source of motivation in Turkey

Studying the effect of infertility on marital violence in Turkish women

The aim of this descriptive study was to evaluate the level of marital violence among Turkish women and to determine whether infertility was a risk factor for marital violence. This descriptive study was conducted during January-July 2009 at a training hospital. The study groups comprised 204 fertile and 228 infertile women. We administered the Descriptive Information Questionnaire and Scale for Marital Violence against Women [SDVW] to obtain data. There was a statistically significant difference between infertile and fertile women for the total score of violence in marriage. The emotional, economic and sexual violence scores were higher in the infertile group. However, the verbal violence score was lower. We performed a detailed study aimed at uncovering the presence of any violence from the data collection stage to the end of treatment in infertile couples with the intent to include questions to this effect in the care plan

Admissibility investigation and validation of infertility distress scale [IDS] in Iranian infertile women

Psychological stress has a profound effect on infertility and its treatment. The aim of this study was to develop a specific scale to determine distress levels among Iranian infertile women. In this cross-sectional study the samples included 300 women [145 fertile and 155 infertile] who completed the Infertility Distress Scale [IDS] form. Data was analysed using correlation method and main component analysis. These results show that all 21 items had a high correlation with the overall scale. Cronbach's alpha value was 0.91 for the entire list. Factor analysis results with 5 element extraction could identify 88% of overall variance with a special value higher than 1. According to results, the IDS questionnaire has enough admissibility and validity in the measurement of the infertility distress scale in Iranian infertile women