Factors Influencing Exposure to Secondhand Smoke: Passive Inhalation in Student Nurses

OBJECTIVES: To examine the factors affecting passive exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in non-smoking student nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in 196 college students who had not smoked cigarettes in the past 12 months. Urinary cotinine levels were examined to identify exposure to SHS, and social factors were identified that influenced exposure to SHS, including requests that smokers extinguish cigarettes. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict the factors influencing SHS. RESULTS: Urinary cotinine measurements showed that 32 students (16.3%) were exposed to SHS. Risk factors that increased exposure to SHS affected 80 students (40.8%) in the previous 7 days. Students who were exposed to SHS were 4.45-times more likely to have increased urinary cotinine levels than those who were not exposed. Students who asked others to extinguish their cigarettes were 0.34 times less likely to test positive than those who did not. CONCLUSION: Urinary cotinine was a useful biomarker for identifying exposure to SHS, with respect to the influence of demographic, health-related, and smoking-related factors. In non-smoking nursing students, avoiding exposure to SHS was attributed to self-assertive behavior by requesting smokers to extinguish cigarettes.

Development and Effectiveness of the Job Stress Management Program for Health Care Professionals / 정신간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Job Stress Management Program (JSMP) combined with communication skills training for health care professionals. METHODS: The study design was a nonequivalent control group pre-post test design. Study participants were 42 health care professionals in the experimental group and 38 in the control group. Eight sessions of JSMP were provided over 6 weeks, through on-line and off-line education. Data were analyzed using chi2-test, t-test with the SAS 9.2 program. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in job satisfaction, emotional labor, symptoms of stress, interpersonal stress, and type of communication between the experimental group and the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the JSMP based on communication skills training developed in this study has positive, effects on job stress and communication.

Factors Influencing Sleep Quality in Clinical Nurses / 정신간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify sleep quality, job stress, symptoms of stress (SOS), and coping and to examine factors influencing sleep quality in clinical nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 265 clinical nurses at three general hospitals. A self-administrated questionnaire was used for data collection, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and backward multiple regression with the SAS statistical program. RESULTS: Sleep quality showed significant differences according to the sociodemographic characteristics of age, length of work, education, current workplace, current job position, shift work, and marital status. Sleep quality was negatively associated with SOS and job stress. Significant factors influencing sleep quality of the clinical nurses were cognitive-behavioral SOS, physiological SOS, inappropriate rewards, physical work environment, and shift work. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that cognitive-behavioral SOS, physiological SOS, job stress regarding inappropriate rewards and physical work environment, and shift work are useful to predict levels of sleep quality of clinical nurses. These factors should be considered when developing nursing interventions to improve sleep quality of clinical nurses through stress management.