Indirect and direct associations between personality and psychological distress mediated by dispositional coping.

The present study examines the association between coping and personality, by testing the hypothesis that dispositional coping mediates the relationship between personality and psychological distress. Canonical correlations evaluated the degree of the association among personality and coping dimensions in a community sample (N = 489) from Cyprus. Results partially support the hypothesized mediation model with Agreeableness predicting distress through the full mediation of avoidant coping, expression of negative feelings and active-positive coping. Partial mediation was found for Neuroticism and Openness. Canonical correlations deciphered how coping relates to the Big Five dimensions. Neuroticism was mostly associated with maladaptive coping, whereas Conscientiousness and Extraversion with adaptive coping.

Overview of depression: epidemiology and implications for community nursing practice.

Depressive disorders are among the most common psychological conditions currently affecting individuals living in the Westernized world. Yet, available data indicate that fewer than one third of adults with depression obtain appropriate professional treatment. This is attributed, among other reasons, to the under-recognition of the problem by health professionals, including district nurses. In order to improve recognition of the problem, it is imperative for nurses and especially those working in community settings, to appreciate the importance of prompt diagnosis which presumes both an understanding and knowledge of basic aspects of the problem and, an understanding of their role in dealing with depression. This overview presents epidemiological data and identifies the potential consequences of depression on daily functioning and other aspects of life among adults in Westernized countries, aiming to raise awareness and sensitize district nurses about the issue The article discusses how the role of district nurses can be enhanced to improve recognition rates.

The role of folic acid in prevention and treatment of depression: an overview of existing evidence and implications for practice.

OBJECTIVES: Folic acid is a promising nutrient in relation to augmentation of depression treatment efficiency. Our aim is to present an overview of the potential ways in which folic acid may be associated with depression. METHODS: Search in the databases of PubMed, ProQuest, HEAL- LINK, and HighWire, as well as the Search Engine Google. RESULTS: Data on the correlation of folic acid deficiency and depression is presented along with plausible mechanisms that may account for this association. Secondly, the role of folic acid in the treatment of depression is depicted giving emphasis to the potential of folic acid to enhance patients' responsivess to medication and the therapeutic outcome. DISCUSSION: There is not enough data to justify prescription of folic acid as an aid in patients with severe or chronic depression or mood disorders. However, folic acid levels should be examined in individuals at increased risk for folic acid deficiency or in patients who do not respond to pharmaceutical treatment.

Dimensionality of coping: an empirical contribution to the construct validation of the brief-COPE with a Greek-speaking sample.

The construct of coping has received increasing attention over the past years in relation to psychological and physical health, yet its dimensional and conceptual understanding is not consistent across theoretical models. The present study investigates the dimensionality of coping in a sample of 1127 Greek-speaking adults using the Brief-COPE. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a structure comprised of eight factors, four of which were broader, and included active/positive, avoidant, support seeking and negative emotional approaches. Results indicated adequate psychometric characteristics for the Greek translation of the Brief-COPE for this population. Associations between coping strategies with gender, education, and psychological symptomatology are also discussed.

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Cypriot nurses on the handling of antineoplastic agents.

BACKGROUND: Antineoplastic agents have been associated with major concerns among health professionals. The objective of our study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Cypriot nurses on their exposure to antineoplastic agents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was distributed among oncology nurses in three hospitals in Nicosia. The questionnaire was originally compiled by Turk et al., in order to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and safe behaviours of nurses' handling cytotoxic drugs and was translated from Turkish to Greek by two bilingual volunteers. RESULTS: A total of 88 nurses participated in the survey (20 male and 68 female). The mean age of the nurses was 33 years (age range 21-60). The majority of nurses were aware of the potential hazards associated with handling of chemotherapy. The mean score of the participants' knowledge was 79.43 out of 100. Most of the participants reported high levels of compliance with the use of personal protective equipment such as gloves and protective gown (95.4%, and 84.5%) during reconstitution of antineoplastic agents, respectively. Almost all nurses (98.8%) reported use of a safety cabinet during preparation, however only 53.4% reported that they have annual medical checkups and only 33% reported having received specialized training. CONCLUSION: While the level of knowledge about antineoplastic agents is high among nurses, along with the level of personal protective equipment use, medical surveillance and employee training seems to be lagging behind. Further research may help us identify the reasons for such discrepancy.

Review of epidemiology of depression and implications for community nursing practice.

Depression is regarded as one of the most common mental disorders, but available data point out that only less than one third of adults with depression obtain appropriate professional treatment. This is attributed (amongst other reasons) to the under-recognition of the problem by the health professionals including the general practice nurses. In order to improve recognition rates it is imperative that nurses and especially those working at community settings appreciate the importance of prompt diagnosis which, on one hand presumes an understanding and knowledge of basic aspects of the problem and on the other hand an understanding of their role. This overview presents basic epidemiological data and the potential consequences on daily functioning and other aspects of life that depression may have as to become aware and sensitive regarding to depressive clients. It also discusses the role of nurses in the community, in order to improve recognition rates.

Smoking prevalence and tobacco exposure among adolescents in Cyprus.

BACKGROUND: Smoking has been internationally recognized as an epidemic contributing to major health problems. Smoking contributes to most of the preventable deaths worldwide. Although Cyprus is considered among developed countries with high smoking prevalence (estimates of 25-35% of the population), not much has been done for the systematic scientific study of this problem, especially in adolescence. The present study aimed to investigate smoking prevalence and related factors among Cypriot adolescents. METHODS: Participants were selected through stratified random sampling. The final sample included two subpopulations: middle (n = 1085) and high (n = 767) school students. RESULTS: Six percent of middle school students reported being regular smokers. This climbed to 24% among high school students. Smoking prevalence increases with age, and appears higher in boys than in girls. Smoking is quite common in the participant's families, particularly among fathers. Cigarette and smoke exposure in the home was high, as only a fifth of the students reported smoking never being allowed in the home. Exposure to actors smoking on television was the norm (62-67%) with low reported exposure to anti-smoking messages. Having friends who smoke, exposure to others smoking and low educational aspirations were significant predictors of smoking for both groups. Additional predictors, which were different for middle and high school students, were identified. CONCLUSION: Further research to investigate the nature of these effects is required and to provide further insight into the psychosocial parameters affecting smoking. These results can guide possible prevention and intervention programs for adolescents, and suggest the importance of following a systemic approach.