Development and psychometric analysis of a pediatric cancer survivors Psychosocial Late Effects Scale (PCSLES).

PURPOSE: Although the physiological late effects of childhood cancer survivors are more obvious, appropriate assessment of psychosocial effects is needed. Therefore, it was aimed to develop a scale to evaluate psychosocial late effects in cancer survivors and to test its validity and reliability. DESIGN AND METHODS: This methodological study was conducted with 100 children and adolescents who survived were collected at the oncology center in the south of Türkiye in 2022. Data were collected with the "Personal Information Form" and "Pediatric Cancer Survivors Psychosocial Late Effects Scale (PCSLES)" IBM SPSS 24.0 and IBM AMOS 24.0 software programs were used for data analysis, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze numeric variables. Exploration and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to determine the scale's factorial structure. RESULTS: The factorial analysis was used to test the structural validity of the scale. A four-factor structure consisting of 17 items was developed. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for "1" was 0.89, "2" was 0.87, "3" was 0.80, "4" was 0.82 and the total score was 0.92. Fit indices resulting from the study were χ2/SD: 1.497, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA): 0.071, goodnessof-fit index (GFI): 0.85, comparative-of-fit index (CFI): 0.94, and normed fit index (NFI): 0.85. CONCLUSION: The scale is a valid and reliable scale that can be used to determine psychosocial late effects in pediatric cancer patients. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Utilizing the PCSLES can assist in identifying the psychosocial symptoms of child survivors/adolescents and facilitate the planning of appropriate interventions.

Comparison of adverse childhood experiences of working and nonworking adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Although adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in adolescents are partially presented at the national level, few studies of ACEs in working adolescents by comparing them with those who are not working that provide an opportunity for international comparison have been conducted. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to compare the ACEs of working and nonworking adolescents. METHODS: This study was conducted in Turkey with 213 working adolescents enrolled in the vocational training center and 457 nonworking adolescents enrolled in high schools between the ages of 15 and 18. RESULTS: As a result of the study, the prevalence and incidence of psychological and physical ACEs and neglect in nonworking adolescents were found to be higher than the prevalence and incidence in working adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Research should be conducted to define the awareness of neglect and abuse among working and nonworking adolescents and to explain the reasons why nonworking adolescents experience more ACEs.

Nursing students' expectations, satisfaction, and perceptions regarding clinical learning environment: A cross-sectional, profile study from Turkey.

AIM: The study aimed to examine the nursing students' expectation, satisfaction and perception regarding the clinical learning environment. BACKGROUND: The clinical learning environment is the place where the students socialize professionally and gain professional competence. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1484 nursing students enrolled in undergraduate programs for the 2019-2020 academic year. METHODS: A self-designed questionnaire and The Clinical Learning Environment Scale was used to collect the data. Data were collected between May and July 2019. This study followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist. RESULTS: Nursing students primarily expected supportive attitudes and active participation in nursing practices. A total of 53.8% of the students were satisfied with the clinical learning environment. The two components they were most satisfied with were technical skills and interpersonal caring experiences. The mean scale score for the clinical learning environment perceived by the students was 70.12 (SD = 9.25) (min: 22, max: 110). The students' professional perspective, ability to transfer theory to practice and satisfaction with clinical practice affected their perception of the clinical learning environment. CONCLUSIONS: This research revealed that nursing students expect support and supervision from both the instructor and the clinical staff. The importance of educational and clinical support, which are the most basic needs of students during the learning process, is also clearly seen in the research results. Considering the unbalanced distribution in the instructor-to-student ratio, the importance of clinical mentoring becomes more evident.

Prevalence of obesity and hypertension in children and determination of associated factors by CHAID analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity and hypertension in children is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and increases the prevalence of heart failure and associated morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and hypertension, as well as the associated risk factors, in school-age children. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 21 schools in Antalya, Turkey. A total of 5160 students between the ages of 5 and 15 years participated in the study. The data were collected using a questionnaire, and students' height, weight, and blood pressure were measured. The data were evaluated using numbers, percentages, mean, and chi-squared automatic interaction detector (CHAID) analysis. RESULTS: In all, 11.4% of children were overweight, 11.8% were obese, 6.8% had prehypertension, and 5.7% had hypertension. School level, school location, and father's educational status were determined as factors associated with overweight and obesity; BMI, school level, school location, and mother's working status were determined as factors related to hypertension in the children. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of hypertension, overweight, and obesity was found to be significantly high in the children, especially those living in rural areas. Therefore, it is recommended that these health issues be monitored in children and that necessary measures be taken by considering regional differences.

The effect of maternal depression symptoms on the outcomes of infant care.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the effect of the maternal risk of depression on the outcomes of infant care. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional and analytical study with 229 mothers who had 6-month-old infants and who were enrolled in a family health center. FINDINGS: The results show that mothers at risk of depression have a negative impact on the care and growth of their infants. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Providing support to the mothers is suggested for preventive infant health behaviors and monitoring their infants.

Prospective Monitoring of Breastfeeding Behaviors in Primiparous Mothers with Risky and Non-risky Age Groups.

AIM: This study aimed at monitoring breastfeeding behaviors in primiparous mothers with risky and non-risky age groups prospectively. METHOD: This is a kind of comparative and prospective study that was carried out in 306 mothers who were registered at seven family health centers. The study sample comprised 68 primiparous mothers who were in the risky age group and 238 primiparous mothers who were not in the risky age group. It was interviewed with the mothers twice when their babies were one and six months old. Personal Information Form, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF), and LATCH Breastfeeding Assessment Tool were used for data collection. RESULTS: The mothers in the risky age group had a lower breastfeeding rate when their babies were one month old and a higher formula feeding rate when their babies were six months old than the rates observed in case of the mothers in the non-risky age group. Mothers in the non-risky age group breastfed 14.8 times more in the first month and 5.4 times more in the sixth month than those in the risky age group. The mean scores of LATCH and BSES-SF in the first month and the mean scores of BSES-SF in the sixth month of mothers in the non-risky age group were higher than those of the mothers in the risky age group. CONCLUSION: It was determined that primiparous mothers in the non-risky age group exhibited more positive behaviors in terms of breastfeeding. Close monitoring of breastfeeding behaviors of mothers in the risky age group could be recommended.

The effect of an aggressive behavior prevention program on kindergarten students.

OBJECTIVES: This quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest control group was conducted to determine the effects of the "Aggressive Behavior Prevention Program (ABPP)" on kindergarten students. The program was based on Social Cognitive Theory. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: The study was carried out with 90 children (intervention group = 45, control group = 45) who were registered in the kindergarten of a primary school. The ABPP was implemented with children and their families for 12 weeks. Data were collected with a subscale of Aggressiveness of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, the subscales of overt and relational aggression of the Preschool Social Behavior Scale-Teacher Form, and the Victimisation Scale. RESULTS: The ABPP significantly decreased levels of aggression among kindergarten students (p = 0.019). No significant difference was found between the two groups for peer victimization. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in Turkey implemented by a nurse based in school and it is important because it offers an example for nurses' practice and research. Findings suggest that the ABPP is effective in reducing the aggression of children.

Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire: confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis with Turkish samples.

AIM: This study is a report of an investigation of the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire. BACKGROUND: Cultural, social and family environments influence women's beliefs about and attitudes towards menstruation. Awareness of these beliefs and/or attitudes and their cultural origins is necessary to understand women and their reactions to menstruation when offering health care. Although the Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire has been used in several studies, the psychometric properties of the Turkish version have not been investigated. METHODS: Confirmatory factor analyses were carried out with two different samples - high school (n = 650) and undergraduate university students (n = 569) - in Turkey in the spring semester of 2006. Exploratory factor analyses were then used to modify the factor structure. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis did not confirm the factor model reported in the United States of America. However, compared with British and Indian samples, Turkish attitudes showed better fit than both British and Indian samples with comparative fit index values of 0.776 and 0.797 for the high school and university samples respectively. Finally, exploratory factor analysis yielded a 28-item measure for the high school sample and 31-item measure for the university sample, with a 5-factor solution. Reliability estimates of both scales were satisfactory, being 0.73 for the high school and 0.79 for the university sample. CONCLUSION: The modified 5-factor Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire could be a useful tool for assessing menstrual attitudes among Turkish high school and university students. The overall score permits comparison with results from earlier studies using the original instrument.