Comparison of first-year nursing students' GAD-7 scores: a pilot study focusing on Generation Z.

BACKGROUND: In a post-pandemic landscape, Generation Z (Gen Z) nursing students are increasingly facing mental health challenges, notably anxiety. This study investigated these challenges among first-year nursing students. AIMS: The primary objective was to assess self-reported anxiety levels in first-year undergraduate nursing students, focusing on Gen Z, before or at the onset of their initial clinical placement post-pandemic. METHODS: Employing a cross-sectional design, this study used the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire to evaluate anxiety levels. It encompassed first-year nursing students from various fields at a university in North East England, considering generational differences, field of nursing, and demographic variables. FINDINGS: Results indicated anxiety levels among generational groups, with Gen Z students exhibiting extreme variations. Notably, students in Mental Health Nursing reported less anxiety than their counterparts in other nursing fields. The study also sheds light on the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on student mental health. CONCLUSIONS: The study underscores the necessity for bespoke support systems in educational and clinical environments, particularly for Gen Z students. It advocates for comprehensive strategies in universities and clinical settings to nurture nursing students' emotional health, thereby enhancing their resilience and long-term career prospects.

A study of factors affecting pass rates of level 5 written assessments for undergraduate adult nursing students.

Nursing programmes were flexible during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering simulation to replace clinical hours and adjusting supervision and assessment. However, second-year students in two modules had lower results despite no changes to the material, team or delivery. OBJECTIVES: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, on second-year adult nursing students who submitted written assignments, to analyse recurring patterns that could explain the failure rate. METHOD: Data were analysed from 265 university students to identify patterns of association in demographics, module results and student engagement indicators. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between age and assignment results, with older students achieving higher grades. Clustering identified three patterns of student engagement. Students demonstrating engagement with all aspects of the course (30.2%) performed significantly better than those in other clusters (P<0.001). Students with disabled student support recommendations performed notably worse than those without. All sizeable differences were resolved following the return to campus and the implementation of additional writing support. DISCUSSION: Age, cross-medium engagement and preparation were all shown to have an impact on marks. These findings can influence how higher education institutions drive and monitor engagement, as this study suggests that all parts of a blended learning approach are equally important.

Uncertainty in Transition of African American Caregivers.

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the ambiguities and uncertainties experienced by a diverse group of African-American caregivers. The study applied Schlossberg's transition theory (TT) and Mishel's revised uncertainty theory to narratives of self-identified African-American caregivers who provided care at least 5 h a week. The men (6) and women (8) were mostly unmarried, mostly caring for a parent or grandparent. The caregivers' average age was 52 (SD = 19; ages ranged from 24 to 82 years); and the care recipients' average age was 84 (SD = 9). Six care recipients had dementia and the remainder had multiple disease diagnoses. Narratives were obtained by in-depth interviews or focus group discussions. These were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim professionally and analyzed independently by trained coders. Schlossberg's TT contextualized whereas Mishel's RUIT illuminated the characteristics of the transition, its associated uncertainty, and their relationship to the development of caregiver stress. Situational factors such as difficulties with illness symptoms of the care recipient, conflict between previous experience and current expectations and the adjustments to the new caregiving role, burdened younger caregivers more than older caregivers. Self-factors related to lack of knowledge about the illness and feelings of lack of control. Social support was predominantly provided by family members, and its absence resulted in conflict among siblings and caregiver stress. The most common coping strategies include religiosity, expectations of reciprocity, and coming to terms with the uncertainty. Understanding the feelings, perceptions and needs of caregivers in transition is tantamount to providing nursing care.

Personal and social influences on the use of humour in the interactions of student nurses in UK clinical settings.

Humour is a centuries-old phenomenon studied by many disciplines. Social and personal identity play a role in the creation, recognition, understanding, appreciation and use of humour. This study, which used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore preregistration nursing students' experiences of the use of humour in the UK clinical setting, highlights what affects the students' use of humour. The influence of sex, age, and culture and ethnicity on the participants' use of humour with patients and healthcare staff is evidenced and explored; the influence of sex did not strictly follow traditional expectations.

Dementia and Caregiver Stress: An Application of the Reconceptualized Uncertainty in Illness Theory.

The Reconceptualized Uncertainty in Illness Theory (RUIT) was used to investigate antecedents to, appraisals of, and ways of coping with stressful caregiving. Four focus groups with caregivers (8 males and 16 females) of relatives with dementia were conducted; 15 cared for their parents and the remainder cared for their spouses. They were recruited from an adult care center and other community settings in a metropolitan area in New England. The discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently coded the transcripts. Thematic analysis was structured according to the RUIT. The study is unique in its application to caregivers as opposed to patients and to all of the elements of the RUIT. Caregivers experience uncertainty in similar ways to patients with life-altering illness. Symptom severity--lack of personal boundaries, repetitive and aggressive behaviors, and the need for constant care--was the most frequent source of stress. The appraisals were mostly negative and included feelings of resentment, a lack of support from family members, financial strains, and loss of freedom. Self-improvement and self-care were important aspects of coping. Spirituality and humor were other coping skills that respondents used. Not all respondents said they were coping and some also reported that support from health care providers was not always helpful. Nurses can help improve coping by explaining the factors that contribute to caregiver strain and uncertainty, and by assisting caregivers to anticipate the effects of the caregiving role.

Observations in acute care: evidence-based approach to patient safety.

Both the National Patient Safety Agency and National Institute for Clinical Excellence have recommended that nurses must competently carry out observations, accurately interpret the data and make appropriate decisions on that data if unnecessary deaths are to be avoided. This review explores patient safety through a review of nurses' knowledge, skills and practices of recording observations in acute clinical settings (TPR, BP, blood glucose levels, blood oxygen saturation levels and neurological function). Findings from different research studies indicate the respiratory rate in particular is a sensitive indicator of clinical deterioration, but is the one observation that is poorly performed in acute care. The review also highlights the advantages and disadvantages of using electronic recording devices and using early warning systems that have been designed to identify patients at risk of deterioration. In addition to this, the review explores what nurses need to know about physiological compensatory mechanisms in order to facilitate accurate detection and reporting of clinical deterioration in acute care. Some recommendations for improving nurses' competence in doing the observations are considered. These recommend nurses should attend the ALERT course (acute life threatening events recognition and treatment), within the first eighteen months post qualifying if working in acute care. It is also recommended that further development of simulation exercises in both pre and post registration courses may help to foster 'what is best practice' for doing the observations in acute care.

Narratives of melancholy: a humanities approach to depression.

This paper explores narrative literature as a means of inquiry into the sense of self in depression. Described as a disease, an identity and a way of life, depression is influenced by both internal and external factors. Although brain research has provided new insight into the relationship between neurotransmitter function and depression, the symptoms are experienced by individuals whose lives are intertwined with historical and sociocultural interpretations of illness and its manifestations. At the intersection of science and the humanities, narratives aid in the interpretation of lived experiences, provide a window to that experience, and a public medium that engages writers and readers as they interpret the world. Engaging narratives to interpret both experience and medical jargon may reveal for both those experiencing depression and those engaged in their care, a way of mediating that experience. Narratives can help dissect and thus illuminate the official language of medicine and psychiatry and the personal language of depression. Such a window can enhance the opportunities for empathy and care.