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BACKGROUND: Clinical competency is the ability to integrate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values into a clinical situation and it is very important in nursing education, clinical settings, nursing management, and crises. This study aimed to investigate nurses' professional competence and its correlates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted this cross-sectional study before and during the COVID-19 outbreak and recruited all nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, southern Iran, so we included 260 and 246 nurses in the study before and during the COVID-19 epidemic, respectively. Competency Inventory for Registered Nurses (CIRN) was used to collect data. After inputting the data into SPSS24, we analysed them using descriptive statistics, chi-square and multivariate logistic tests. A significant level of 0.05 was considered. RESULTS: The mean clinical competency scores of nurses were 156.97 ± 31.40 and 161.97 ± 31.36 before and during the COVID-19 epidemic, respectively. The total clinical competency score before the COVID-19 epidemic was not significantly different from that during the COVID-19 epidemic. Interpersonal relationships (p = 0.03) and desire for research/critical thinking (p = 0.01) were significantly lower before the COVID-19 outbreak than during the COVID-19 outbreak. Only shift type had an association with clinical competency before the COVID-19 outbreak, while work experience had an association with clinical competency during the COVID-19 epidemic. CONCLUSION: The clinical competency among nurses was moderate before and during the COVID-19 epidemic. Paying attention to the clinical competence of nurses can improve the care conditions of patients, and nursing managers should improve the clinical competence of nurses in different situations and crises. Therefore, we suggest further studies identifying factors improving the professional competency among nurses.
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BACKGROUND: Job satisfaction and factors affecting them are among the most important social issues. Resilience has a moderating role in the relationship between stress and diseases, so it can affect a person's job satisfaction because it enables a person to deal with adverse conditions. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nurses' psychological resilience and job satisfaction during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study (2022) used convenience sampling to select 300 nurses. The Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire were used to collect data. The data were then analyzed with SPSS 22 and statistical methods (Independent t-test, Analysis of Variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Multiple linear regression). RESULTS: The study results showed a positive and poor relationship between resilience, some of its dimensions (trust in individual instincts, tolerance of negative affect (p = 0.006), positive acceptance of change and secure relationships (p = 0.01), spiritual influences (p = 0.04)) and job satisfaction (p < 0.001). In other words, nurses' high level of resilience increased their job satisfaction and vice versa. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing the resilience of frontline nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic improved their job satisfaction and affected care provided by them. Nurse managers can control nurses' resilience and offer interventions that would strengthen it, especially at crises.
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INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has created numerous challenges for the health system. Nurses and medical emergency personnel are at the forefront of fighting COVID-19 and exposed to psychological disorders such as death anxiety and death obsession. Humor is a defense and coping mechanism against the anxiety and obsession associated with death. This study aimed to compare death anxiety, death obsession, and humor among nurses and medical emergency personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 230 nurses and medical emergency personnel. To collect data, the Templer death anxiety scale, death obsession scale, and humor styles questionnaire were used. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis. The significance level was considered at P < .05. RESULTS: Mean and standard deviation of death anxiety in the nurses and medical emergency personnel were 6.86 (4.04) and 5.68 (3.57), respectively; these values for death obsession were 29.82 (12.30) and 25.30 (12.66) and for humor 116.75 (30.87) and 118.48 (24.66), respectively. The nurses had significantly higher death anxiety (t = 2.33, P = .02) and death obsession (t = -2.68, P = .008) than the medical emergency personnel; moreover, there was no significant relationship among humor, death anxiety (r = .11, P = .10), and death obsession (r = .07, P = .31) in nurses and emergency personnel. DISCUSSION: The results of this study showed that the levels of death anxiety and death obsession were higher in the nurses than the medical emergency personnel. There was no significant difference between the hospital nurses and medical emergency personnel in terms of humor.
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COVID-19 , Anxiety/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Obsessive Behavior , PandemicsABSTRACT
Background: The practice of hand washing is an effective way to prevent contamination and disease transmission. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, hand washing has become increasingly important. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to understand barriers to hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: Twenty-five healthcare workers from intensive care units were sampled using purposive sampling in a qualitative content analysis study. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and field notes. Based on the Lundman and Graneheim approach, the data were analyzed. COREQ checklist was used to report the research. Results: According to the findings, there are three main categories of barriers to hand hygiene practice: barriers related to individuals (including two subcategories of lack of knowledge of healthcare workers and healthcare workers' improper attitude), barriers related to management (including two subcategories of wrong behavioral patterns and unsuitable training and planning), and barriers related to organizations (including four subcategories of heavy workloads, improperly designed wards, a lack of equipment, and lack of quality equipment). Conclusions: This research indicates that hand washing practice increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, some barriers persist, resulting in a decline in hand washing compliance among health care workers. This finding can help managers and policymakers remove barriers to hand washing compliance and improve healthcare workers' adherence to hand washing.
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COVID-19 , Hand Hygiene , COVID-19/prevention & control , Guideline Adherence , Hand Hygiene/methods , Humans , Intensive Care Units , PandemicsABSTRACT
Background Health care professionals face a number of problems during crises, such as the COVID-19. Studies addressed the prevalence of moral injury among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lack of a valid standard of moral injury among health care professionals is one of the factors that has made it difficult to identify and treat this complication. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Moral Injury Symptoms Scale-Health Care Professionals (MISS-HP) among health care professionals in Iran. Methods This study was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the MISS-HP. The sample included 455 healthcare professionals working in four teaching hospitals in Kerman, who were in direct contact with patients. In this study, face validity, content validity, construct validity (structural and convergent), and internal reliability of the MISS-HP were evaluated. Demographic information questionnaire, the Moral Injury Symptoms Scale-HealthCare Professionals (MISS-HP), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Impact of Event Scale (IES) were administered to study participants. Results The MISS-HP was evaluated using translation-back translation technique. The content validity index of the items (I-CVI) and the scale (S-CVI) were 0.9 and 0.99, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis showed a three-factor structure in the MISS-HP that explained 57.49% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indices were acceptable. The cut-off point of the questionnaire was 36.5. There was a positive and moderate correlation between the Persian version of MISS-HP, GHQ (r = 0.34), and IES-R (r = 0.40). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the Persian version of MISS-HP was 0.70. Conclusion This study found that the MISS-HP is a concise, comprehensive, valid and reliable scale for assessing moral injury among health care professionals in clinical or research settings. This scale will be helpful for managers and researchers to identify and plan health policies and improve the psychological state of health care professionals.
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Objective: To investigate the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Iranians vaccinated with either AZD1222 Vaxzevria, CovIran® vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated (lnCoV) or Sputnik V. Methods: We enrolled individuals 18 years or older receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose between April 2021 and January 2022 in seven Iranian cities. Participants completed weekly follow-up surveys for 17 weeks (25 weeks for AZD1222) to report their COVID-19 status and hospitalization. We used Cox regression models to assess risk factors for contracting COVID-19, hospitalization and death. Findings: Of 89 783 participants enrolled, incidence rates per 1 000 000 person-days were: 528.2 (95% confidence interval, CI: 514.0-542.7) for contracting COVID-19; 55.8 (95% CI: 51.4-60.5) for hospitalization; and 4.1 (95% CI: 3.0-5.5) for death. Compared with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), hazard ratios (HR) for contracting COVID-19 were: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.61-0.80) with AZD1222; 0.73 (95% CI: 0.62-0.86) with Sputnik V; and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63-0.86) with CovIran®. For hospitalization and death, all vaccines provided similar protection 14 days after the second dose. History of COVID-19 protected against contracting COVID-19 again (HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.69-0.84). Diabetes and respiratory, cardiac and renal disease were associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination. Conclusion: The rates of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination were relatively high. SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) provided lower protection against COVID-19 than other vaccines. People with comorbidities had higher risks of contracting COVID-19 and hospitalization and should be prioritized for preventive interventions.
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COVID-19 , Vaccines , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines , ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 , Cohort Studies , Hospitalization , Humans , Iran/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , VaccinationABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Iranians vaccinated with either AZD1222 Vaxzevria, CovIran® vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated (lnCoV) or Sputnik V. Methods We enrolled individuals 18 years or older receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine dose between April 2021 and January 2022 in seven Iranian cities. Participants completed weekly follow-up surveys for 17 weeks (25 weeks for AZD1222) to report their COVID-19 status and hospitalization. We used Cox regression models to assess risk factors for contracting COVID-19, hospitalization and death. Findings Of 89 783 participants enrolled, incidence rates per 1 000 000 person-days were: 528.2 (95% confidence interval, CI: 514.0–542.7) for contracting COVID-19;55.8 (95% CI: 51.4–60.5) for hospitalization;and 4.1 (95% CI: 3.0–5.5) for death. Compared with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), hazard ratios (HR) for contracting COVID-19 were: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.61−0.80) with AZD1222;0.73 (95% CI: 0.62–0.86) with Sputnik V;and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63–0.86) with CovIran®. For hospitalization and death, all vaccines provided similar protection 14 days after the second dose. History of COVID-19 protected against contracting COVID-19 again (HR: 0.76;95% CI: 0.69–0.84). Diabetes and respiratory, cardiac and renal disease were associated with higher risks of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination. Conclusion The rates of contracting COVID-19 after vaccination were relatively high. SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) provided lower protection against COVID-19 than other vaccines. People with comorbidities had higher risks of contracting COVID-19 and hospitalization and should be prioritized for preventive interventions.
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BACKGROUND: Intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICU-AW) affects both coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 patients. ICU-AW can result in a variety of consequences, including increased patient mortality. AIMS: The current study aimed to compare muscle strength and ICU-AW in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical pilot study. METHODS: Fifteen conscious COVID-19 patients and 15 conscious non-COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICUs of a public hospital were selected by convenience sampling. Muscle strength in arms and legs was assessed by a hand-held dynamometer (HHD), and ICU-AW was measured with the medical research council sum score (MRC-SS) scale on the first, fourth, and seventh days of admission to ICUs. RESULTS: The results showed that muscle strength in the arms and legs of the COVID-19 patients assessed by a HHD and MRC was significantly lower than that of non-COVID-19 patients. On the fourth day of ICU admission, 80% of the COVID-19 patients and 40% of the non-COVID-19 patients had ICU-AW. All COVID-19 patients and 86.8% of the non-COVID-19 patients had ICU-AW on the seventh day of ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased muscle strength and ICU-AW are more likely in COVID-19 patients who must stay in the ICU compared with non-COVID-19 patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Health systems should plan to provide rehabilitation facilities for COVID-19 patients and prevent prolonged complications of COVID-19.
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Background In the pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease, various factors, such as workplace factors, and psychological variables, can affect the occupational status of nurses. This study aimed to assess the relationship between nurses’ professional quality of life, mindfulness, and hardiness during the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods This cross-sectional study included 239 nurses from two medical centers in Rafsanjan, Iran. Quota sampling was performed from August to November 2020. A demographic form, the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), the Freiburg Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form (FMI-SF), and the Occupational Hardiness Questionnaire (OHQ) were used to collect data. Results The mean age of the participants was 33.20 ± 6.85 years. The majority of the participants were female, married, and employed. Compassion Satisfaction (CS), Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), and Burnout (BO) were all moderate among nurses. Hardiness was the best predictor of compassion satisfaction. Mindfulness was the best predictor of both secondary traumatic stress and burnout. Psychological hardiness and mindfulness had the greatest impact on nurses’ quality of professional life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Caring for COVID-19 patients may lead to BO, CF, and STS;identifying predictors of these can inform the development of interventions to mitigate or minimize BO, CF, and STS in nurses caring for these patients. Furthermore, in order to improve nurses’ quality of professional life, psychological hardiness, and mindfulness, necessary psychological programs and interventions should be designed and implemented.
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has quickly endangered the physical and mental health of people in the community, particularly vulnerable people such as children. This study was carried out to investigate the depression and self-efficacy of Iranian children during the COVID-19 outbreak. This cross-sectional research was conducted on 321 students aged 8 to 17 in southeast Iran. A social media-based online questionnaire was used to collect data. The information was gathered using demographic and COVID-related items, the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C). No significant correlation was observed between depression and self-efficacy of children (P = 0.23). However, in subscale of CDI, negative mood, ineffectiveness and negative self-esteem had a significant correlation with self-efficacy (<0.001). Depression had a significant correlation with family income (p = 0.017), being at risk of coronavirus infection (p = 0.036), effectiveness of preventive measures (p = 0.015) and how information about the coronavirus disease was obtained (p = 0.018). According to the results, the mean score of depression was higher than the midpoint of the questionnaire in Iranian children, therefore, it is needed to take the necessary measures and treatment plans to reduce the rate of depression in children. Further research is needed to assess and prevent childhood depression.
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BACKGROUND: Atrophy and muscle weakness is a common problem in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Muscle weakness in severe cases can lead to tetraplegia, reduced or lost tendon reflexes, delayed weaning from mechanical ventilation, physical disability, and increased mortality. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of range of motion exercises (ROM) and massage on muscle strength of the patients admitted to ICUs. METHODS: This study was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial conducted in ICUs of Afzalipour hospital in Kerman, southeastern Iran. Ninety conscious ICU patients were randomly divided into three groups (massage, ROM exercises and control). The researcher/co-researcher massaged or did ROM exercises on the patients' extremities once a day for seven consecutive days. Using a hand-held dynamometer, the co-researcher, rated the muscle strength before, on the fourth and seventh days of intervention at 8 p.m. RESULTS: The mean muscles strength of the right arm in the ROM exercise and massage groups increased by 0.63 kg, and 0.29 kg, respectively after the intervention compared with before the intervention. The muscle strength of the right arm in the control group reduced by 0.55 kg. The mean muscles strength of the left arm in the ROM exercise and massage groups increased by 0.61 kg and 0.28 kg after the intervention, respectively while it reduced by 0.56 kg in the control group. The mean muscles strength of the right leg in the ROM exercise and massage groups increased by 0.53 kg and 0.27 kg after the intervention compared with before the intervention while it reduced by 0.70 kg in the control group. The mean muscles strength of the left leg in the ROM exercise and massage groups increased by 0.54 kg and 0.26 kg after the intervention compared with before the intervention while it reduced by 0.71 kg in the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that ROM exercises and massage were effective interventions in increasing muscle strength of the critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units.
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Background: Cancer patients face various problems and complications, which they address through various complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between CAM and psychosomatic symptoms in terminally ill cancer patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 221 terminally ill cancer patients (based on metastatic stage and according to the physicin diagnosis) in southeastern Iran. Convenience sampling was used to select terminally ill cancer patients. Using questionnaires like the demographic and clinical information questionnaire, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), CAM questionnaire and satisfaction with the use of CAM, the researcher was able to compile a comprehensive picture of the population. Results: The mean age of the participants was 51.66 ± 13.34 years. The majority of the samples were female, married, educated, and unemployed. The mean score for the physical symptoms of the participants according to ESAS was 22.25 ± 17.57 which was less than the midpoint of the scale (the possible score of ESAS was 0-100). Only 2.7% (n = 6) and 0.9% (n = 2) of the participants had mild and moderate anxiety, respectively, and the other participants' anxiety levels were normal. Only 7.7% (n = 17) and 4.1% (n = 9) of the participants had mild and moderate depression, respectively, and the other participants' depression levels were normal. Last year, 87.3% of the participants used at least one type of CAM. Aside from prayer, 42.1% of the participants used at least one type of CAM in the last year. Prayer was used by 83.7% of the participants, medicinal plants by 35.8%, massage by 9.5%, dietary supplements by 3.6%, wet cupping by 3.2%, relaxation and meditation by 2.7%, dry cupping by 2.4%, and acupuncture by 0.5%. The common reason for using CAM was to reduce the stress and anxiety caused by cancer and to treat it. There were no significant differences in physical and psychological symptoms between the CAM-users and non-CAM users. Conclusion: Patients with cancer have a relatively low level of psychosomatic symptoms, and the primary reason for using CAM was to relieve stress and anxiety associated with cancer and treat it. However, psychosomatic symptoms were the same for CAM and non-CAM users. Because so many people with cancer use CAM, future studies should look into why and how CAM is used.
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Cancer survivors face numerous therapeutic and health challenges during the COVID-19 epidemic. These patients experience high levels of anxiety and stress due to illness, external stresses, and crises, such as the COVID-19 epidemic. The present study showed a positive relationship between FCR and COVID-19 anxiety as well as moderate levels of FCR (according to the midpoint score of the questionnaire) and COVID-19 anxiety among cancer survivors. Factors affecting the mental condition of cancer survivors can play an important role in completing treatment and preventing disease exacerbation.
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COVID-19 , Cancer Survivors , Anxiety/epidemiology , Anxiety/etiology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Fear , Humans , Iran/epidemiology , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Introduction: An individual's level of mindfulness can predict his/her level of general health, anxiety, and anger. If we have a valuable tool for measuring mindfulness, we can predict such factors more concisely. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare a narrowband and a broadband mindfulness scale in predicting the level of general health, anxiety, and anger in a general population. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on an Iranian general population (all citizens living in Kerman) from September 22, 2020 to April 14, 2021. The convenience sampling method was used. Data were collated via electronic and paper forms of the Relaxation/Meditation/Mindfulness Tracker t-Persian version (RMMt-P), the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory- Short-Form-Persian version (FMI-P), the General Health Questionnaire, the trait anxiety section of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the trait anger section of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2. Results: The FMI-P predicted 0.05% of GHQ variance while the first and third levels of RMMt-P predicted 0.145%. The FMI-P predicted 0.19% of anxiety variance, while the first and third levels of RMMt-P predicted 0.195%. The FMI-P predicted 0.0% of anger variance, while the first, second, and third levels of RMMt-P predicted 0.08%. RMMt-P Level 1 was a better predictor of general health, anger, and anxiety. Conclusion: The current study found that the RMMt-P was a better predictor of general health and anger than the FMI-P. These findings suggest that the type of questionnaire used in the study of mindfulness is important, but more research is needed to determine the extent of these relationships.
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BACKGROUND: Nurses provide the majority of health-care services and face numerous health challenges during an epidemic. During the COVID-19 epidemic, nurses are subjected to physical, mental, and social disorders that impair their quality of life and hardiness. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the situation of nurses. The current study aimed to compare the compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and hardiness among nurses before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 508 clinical nurses from one public hospital in southern Iran. The subjects were recruited using census sampling methods in 2019-2020. Sampling was performed before (n = 266) and during the COVID-19 (n = 242) with a 1-year interval. Although, the study setting was the same before and during the COVID-19, questionnaires were completed by different nurses before and during the COVID-19. Demographic questionnaire, professional quality of life (ProQOL) questionnaire and Occupational Hardiness Questionnaire were used to collect data. RESULTS: The scores of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and hardiness did not differ significantly during the COVID-19 compared with before the COVID-19 (p > 0.05). Before COVID-19, hardiness and work experience predicted 11% of the variance of compassion satisfaction, whereas during COVID-19, hardiness and gender predicted 26% of the variance of compassion satisfaction. Before COVID-19, hardiness and work experience predicted 3% of the variance of compassion fatigue, whereas during COVID-19, hardiness, type of employment and gender predicted 6% of the variance of compassion fatigue. CONCLUSION: The current study found that compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and hardiness did not change during the COVID-19 outbreak compared with before the COVID-19 outbreak. However, during the COVID-19, the hardiness was a significant predictor of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue. The study results showed that it was possible to increase the compassion satisfaction and reduce the compassion fatigue by strengthening the hardiness of nurses. However, these results need to be considered in future studies, especially in crises such as COVID-19 disease.
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OBJECTIVE: Some epidemic diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have caused many physical, psychological, and social challenges, despite the existence of treatment strategies. Many people are looking for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to prevent such diseases. The present study was performed to determine how some types of CAM were being used during the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran. METHODS: The present study had a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design. All Iranian residents above 17 years old were eligible to participate in the study. A total of 782 participants completed a demographic information questionnaire, a questionnaire about their use of CAMs and a questionnaire about their satisfaction with the CAMs they used. Web-based sampling was conducted from 20 April 2020 to 20 August 2020. RESULTS: Of the participants, 84% used at least one type of CAM during the COVID-19 outbreak. The most used CAMs were dietary supplements (61.3%), prayer (57.9%), and herbal medicines (48.8%). The majority of the participants (50%-66%) have used CAMs to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 or to reduce anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. CAM use was associated with sex, having children, place of residence, COVID-19 status, and source of gathering information about CAM (P < 0.05). All 32 participants who had been infected with COVID-19 used at least one type of CAM for treatment or alleviation of the disease symptoms. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 outbreak, some types of CAM, particularly nutritional supplements, medicinal herbs, and prayer, were commonly used to prevent COVID-19 and reduce pandemic-related anxiety.
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COVID-19 , Complementary Therapies , Adolescent , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Disease Outbreaks , Humans , Iran , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hemodialysis patients are prone to high stress and anxiety related to the acute coronavirus epidemic. Mindfulness and spiritual health are among the factors associated with stressful and anxious situations. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between mindfulness, spiritual health, and coronavirus stress/anxiety in patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four patients underwent hemodialysis participated in this cross-sectional study. Patients completed the Demographic and Clinical Characteristics Form, Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), stress subscale of DASS-21, The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory- Short Form (FMI-SF), and Spiritual Health Scale. RESULTS: The results showed that 28.5% of the participants had moderate to severe anxiety. According to the psychological symptom subscale (CDAS), 54.2% of the participants had moderate to severe anxiety. According to the physical symptom subscale, 41.7% of the participants had moderate to severe anxiety. Sixteen percent of the patients believed that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and lockdown influenced their course of treatment. A significant association was found between coronavirus disease anxiety and mindfulness (r = -0.20, P < .05). No significant association was found between stress and mindfulness/spiritual health (P > .05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that coronavirus anxiety and stress are common in hemodialysis patients. Mindfulness may be effective in reducing coronavirus anxiety in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, interventions are suggested to increase the level of mindfulness and empower hemodialysis patients to cope with anxiety caused by crises such as the coronavirus outbreak.
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Background: Nurses are the major healthcare workforce in an epidemic and have the most contact with patients. Frontline nurses face many health challenges during the COVID-19 epidemic, are directly at risk when treating and caring for COVID-19 patients, and thus experience severe stress and problems in the workplace leading to physical, mental, and social disorders, as well as burnout, anxiety, stress, and depression. The purpose of this study was to compare burnout, anxiety, stress, and depression in nurses before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a cross sectional study. We assessed 266 frontline nurses before and 242 frontline nurses during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with one year apart in 2019 and 2020 (two-stage sampling). The data were collected using demographic questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Questionnaire and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) in public hospitals in Southern Iran. Results: There were no significant differences between groups in subscales of burnout (p > 0.05). Anxiety, stress and depression scores significantly increased during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the COVID-19 outbreak (p < 0.05). There were significant differences between groups in level of anxiety (p < 0.001) and stress (p = 0.04). Before the COVID-19 outbreak, burnout predicted 11, 15, and 13% of the variance of anxiety, stress and depression, respectively. In addition, stress, monthly working hours and shift were variables that predicted 16% of the variance of burnout before COVID-19. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that burnout during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic did not change significantly compared with before COVID-19. Anxiety, stress and depression increased significantly first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The prevalence of COVID-19 disease continues to be a significant psychosocial status among health care workers (HCWs) and the general population worldwide. This cross sectional study aimed to compare the psychosocial status between healthcare workers and general population during the prevalence of COVID-19 disease in southeast Iran. Totally 415 health care workers of a medical service center for COVID-19 patients and 1023 people of general population participated in the study. An online socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ -28), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) were utilized to evaluate psychosocial status. According to GHQ, the psychological disorders of the HCWs were significantly higher than that of the general population (P < 0.001). According to GAD-7, no significant difference was found between general population and HCWs. Multivariate logistic analysis showed no difference between general population and HCWs in the psychological disorder. Although HCWs suffered from psychological disorders more than general population, nearly one third to half of the participants in both groups had psychosocial disorders.
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Communities have been exposed to the complications and problems caused by COVID-19 disease, which has had various and complex effects on general health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety, anger, mindfulness, and general health in the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. This cross-sectional study was performed on 456 participants from September 2020 to April 2021. For data collection, Demographic Characteristics Form, General Health Questionnaire, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory-Short Form, The trait anxiety section of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 were used. General health was positively correlated with anxiety and anger and negatively correlated with mindfulness. Anxiety was positively correlated with anger and negatively correlated with mindfulness. No significant correlation was found between anger and mindfulness. Based on the multiple regression model, anxiety, anger and a family member infected with COVID-19 were the predictors of general health (p < 0.001). Given that anxiety, anger, and family members infected with COVID-19 are all predictors of public health, it is suggested that psychological programs and interventions be designed to reduce anxiety and anger, as well as to support family members infected with COVID-19, to promote general health.