COVID-19 Fear and Anxiety among Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Cross Sectional Study.

Although the current management of COVID-19 is mainly focused on efficacious vaccine and infection control, the most common psychological reactions (such as fear and anxiety) associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have not been investigated and even neglected in patients with heart failure who are at greater risk for morbidity and mortality. We assessed COVID-19 related fear and anxiety among patients with heart failure and determined their associated factors. A cross sectional survey was conducted among 300 consecutive patients with heart failure during the period of March 2021−June 2021. Almost 50.7% of patients had fear of COVID-19 and 36.3% had coronavirus anxiety. Age > 55 was significantly associated with increased odds of fear (OR = 2.6) and anxiety (OR = 4.3). Patients with angina were more likely to have fear (OR = 3.0) and anxiety (OR = 2.2) and patients with chronic lung disease were more likely to have fear (OR = 3.0) and anxiety (OR = 3.3). Increased age, having angina, and having chronic lung disease were associated with increased odds of fear of COVID-19 and coronavirus anxiety. Psychological support needs to be integrated in patient care with special attention to physiological risk factors that are associated with COVID-19 comorbidities.

Women's career progression to management positions in Jordan's health sector.

PURPOSE: This study aims to identify and explore experiences, perspectives, barriers and enablers to women's career progression to management positions in the health-care sector and to assess women's and men's perceptions of the policies and practices of the health-care system concerning gender equality and nondiscrimination between women and men. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health-care professionals in ten selected hospitals, including physicians, registered nurses/midwives and pharmacists with or without managerial positions. FINDINGS: This study included a total of 2,082 female and 1,100 male health-care professionals. Overall, 70% of women and men reported that opportunities for advancement are based on knowledge and skills in their institution. However, 58.9% of women (p < 0.001) reported that women are more likely to face barriers to career advancement than men do in their workplace. Lack of women in general/line management and discrimination against women by supervisors at the point of promotion were the main barriers to women's career progression, as they were reported by two-thirds of women. The main barrier, as perceived by men (62.3%) was that women have family and domestic responsibilities. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: To overcome barriers in women's career progression, there is a need to establish a career planning and capacity-building program for women in the health sector. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Jordanian female health-care professionals face different barriers that affect their career progression, including inequity and discrimination in the workplace, negative views about women's abilities, lack of qualifications and training, hostile cultural beliefs and family responsibilities.

Quality of Life and Health Status of Jordanian Women Users of Various Contraceptive Methods and Associated Factors: Implications for Contraceptive Policies.

AIM: The study aimed at investigating the differences in health status of women users and non-users of contraceptive methods and assess differences in contraception quality of life (CQoL) according to method used. METHODS: Across sectional study with 372 women between the ages of 18 and 49 years old were recruited. Participants completed the health status and the CQoL questionnaire, which was validated using factor analysis combining three factor loading measures with a good Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient. RESULTS: Results showed that there were no significant differences in health status between users and non-users. There was a significant difference in QoL according to the method used at the p <0.05 level for the three conditions F (2193) = 6.0 and p = 0.003. Post hoc analysis indicated that the total CQoL was significantly higher in IUD users (M = 55.7, SD = 9.6) than users of natural methods (M = 50, SD = 9.0, p < 0.01). In addition, the total CQoL was significantly higher among women from the southern region (M = 56.7, SD = 9.0) than from the northern and mid-regions (M = 49.5, SD = 0.07 and M = 52, SD = 10, respectively, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The physiological changes of women's QoL was affected by the use of the IUD method with significantly lower QoL scores than those who used oral contraceptives and non-hormonal methods. In addition, there was no significant difference in health status between users and non-users of contraceptive methods. IMPLICATIONS: The study has implications for contraceptive counselling on quality of life of women users of IUD and women from the south region and provides opportunities for the advancement of the reproductive health services in Jordan.

Quality of life of Jordanian menopausal working and retired women and its associated factors: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Life expectancy of Jordanian women has increased, indicating that the number of women entering menopause age, during the prime of their working life, will also increase. Therefore, assessments of the quality of life (QoL) of working and retired women and factors associated with overall wellbeing, are essential for the provision of quality services and care. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 Jordanian women between the ages of 45 to 60 years old. The Utian QOL tool was used to assess the quality of life among menopausal women. Multiple regressions were used to determine predictors for QoL for the whole sample and for each group of working and retired women. Results: The study shows that the total QoL for women was 77.5 ±14.4, with a significant difference (p=.023) in total QoL and the occupational domain (p=.003) between working and retired women. Employed women with fewer chronic diseases and using frequent preventive measures had a higher QoL compared to others. Conclusion: Working itself might be an important indicator for better a quality of life among menopausal women. Better working conditions and more attention from the health care providers for the menopausal changes and the preventive measures could enhance women's perceived QoL in addition to increasing their productivity.

Quality of life of working and non-working Jordanian mothers caring for chronically ill child and its associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Balancing work-life and routines of daily life gets complex when a child is chronically ill. AIM: This study aimed to examine the QOL of working and non-working mothers caring for children with a chronic illness in Jordan and determine predictors of QOL of working mothers. DESIGN: Descriptive comparative cross-sectional design. METHOD: Data from 164 mothers who cared for a child with a chronic disease were collected. The World Health Organization Quality of Life - BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to collect the data on physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment domains. RESULTS: The quality of life of working mothers was significantly lower than those of non-working mothers on all domains of WHOQOL-BREF. Mother's working status, monthly income, evaluation of their own health explained 41% of the variance. Social, family and employer support may help them overcome the challenges of caring for a child with a chronic illness and maintain good QOL.

Factors Associated with Cervical Cancer Screening Uptake: Implications for the Health of Women in Jordan.

Purpose: The existing factors that influence cervical cancer screening uptake worldwide do not necessarily reflect the situation in Jordan. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with cervical cancer screening uptake among Jordanian women. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 500 married Jordanian women aged 21 to 65 years were recruited from eight nongovernmental organisations and community settings in Amman. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire regarding sociodemographic and reproductive data, a health utilisation data form, and scales on the perceived benefits of screening, perceived barriers to screening, perceived susceptibility to cervical cancer, and perceptions regarding the severity of cervical cancer. Descriptive statistics, multivariate logistic regressions, and independent t-tests were used in the data analysis. Results: Among the 500 age-eligible women, only 156 (31.2%) had been screened for cervical cancer. Healthcare provider encouragement, years of marriage (odds ratio (OR) = 5.24, confidence interval (CI) = 95%, p = 0.00), and use of the private healthcare sector (OR = 2.20, CI = 95%, p = 0.012) were significant predictors of cervical cancer screening. Conclusion: Cervical cancer screening uptake among Jordanian women is significantly low; determining factors for the decision to undergo screening include encouragement from the healthcare provider, the number of years of marriage, and use of the private healthcare sector. To improve uptake, structured screening programmes need to be implemented in collaboration with national partners and institutions to decrease the incidence of cervical cancer in Jordan.

Adversities of being infertile: the experience of Jordanian women.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and interpret the experiences of and adversities faced by infertile Jordanian women as described from their own perspectives. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design. SETTING: The women were interviewed at a nonprofit women's organization in the north of Jordan. The organization focuses on empowerment and health issues. PATIENT(S): This study included a purposive sample of 25 infertile Jordanian women who were unsuccessfully trying to conceive for a minimum of 1 year, and who were receiving treatment for infertility. INTERVENTION(S): Face-to-face, in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted, audiotaped, and transcribed using thematic analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Outcomes were measured using thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. RESULT(S): Four key adversity themes emerged from the data: the adversity of incomplete being, the social adversity of being infertile, the adversity of another wife, and the adversity of changes in the marital relationship. CONCLUSION(S): Jordanian women are seriously affected by infertility and experience personal, social, and marital adversities, which affect their well-being. These adversities need to be conceptualized within a framework that can be used to empower and counsel infertile women in all aspects of life.

Attitudes toward and justification for wife abuse among Syrian medical and nursing students.

PURPOSE: To explore the perceptions of and attitudes toward violence and beliefs of contextual justification of wife abuse among Syrian medical and nursing students. DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used. The Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Wife Abuse Questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 621 medical and nursing students from three public universities in Syria. RESULTS: Only 18.4% of the students had positive attitudes toward interpersonal violence reflecting low tolerance to wife beating and use of physical force for problem solving and child discipline, and 16.1% did not justify wife beating. Medical, older, female students, from urban areas, with more educated parents, and those who did not experience violence or witness violence between their parents had significantly more positive attitudes toward wife abuse and significantly less justification of wife beating (p < .05). CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Education about violence against women of future medical and nursing students is the responsibility of medical and nursing educators and health policy makers, who have to acknowledge the influence of the sociocultural factors in shaping student's attitudes toward wife abuse and develop strategies to enhance these attitudes at the early stages of professional preparation.