The mediating effect of Covid-19 risk perception on the correlation between levels of mindfulness and preventive health behavior in nursing students.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate nursing students' levels of mindfulness and its effect on developing preventive health behaviors, and to examine the mediating role of COVID-19 risk perception on this effect. DESIGN AND MEASURES: This study used a descriptive and correlational study design. RESULTS: The level of mindfulness, accompanied by COVID-19 risk perception caused a.104-unit increase in developing preventive health behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The findings revealed that the indirect effect of the level of mindfulness on developing preventive health behavior was at a significant level; therefore, it is concluded that COVID-19 risk perception mediates the correlation between level of mindfulness. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The present study is important to investigate nursing students' levels of mindfulness and the effect of these on developing preventive health behaviors.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Mindfulness Meditation on Neuropathic Pain, Fatigue, and Quality of Life in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation on the severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP), fatigue, and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: An assessor-blinded prospective randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to the relaxation group (RG; n = 28), meditation group (MG; n = 25), or control group (CG; n = 24). The mean age of participants was 64.2 ± 8.1 years in the RG, 61.6 ± 8.0 years in the MG, and 64.1± 6.6 years in the CG. Patients in the intervention groups performed progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness meditation at their home for 12 weeks, 20 min daily. The CG received only an attention-matched controlled education on pancreas anatomy and diabetes. Data collection was performed at baseline and at weeks 12 and 14 using the VAS, FACIT Fatigue Scale (FACIT-F), and Neuropathic Pain Impact on Quality of Life Questionnaire (NePIQoL). FINDINGS: VAS scores were significantly lower in the RG and MG at week 12 (p < .05) and were statistically significant in the RG at week 14. Additionally, fatigue severity decreased significantly in the RG at weeks 12 and 14, compared to that in the CG (p < .05). While no significant difference was found in the quality of life scores between the study groups at weeks 12 and 14 (p > .05), a significant improvement in quality of life scores in the RG were provided at week 12 compared to those at baseline and week 14 (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Both progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation had a positive impact on providing pain relief in patients with DPNP. Moreover, progressive muscle relaxation also appeared to have a beneficial effect on fatigue. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Based on the results, progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation can be recommended as supportive therapies for the management of DPNP.

Effects of progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness meditation on fatigue, coping styles, and quality of life in early breast cancer patients: An assessor blinded, three-arm, randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and mindfulness meditation (MM) on fatigue, coping styles, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with early breast cancer receiving adjuvant paclitaxel. METHODS: The participants were randomly assigned to either a 12-week (PMR) (n = 31) and MM (n = 32) interventions or control group (CG) (n = 29). The intervention groups continued PMR or MM for 20-min every day, for a total of 12 weeks. The CG received only a single time attention-matched education (15-min) on breast cancer before the start of the paclitaxel regimen. Data collection tools included the Patient Information Form, Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Brief COPE, and Functional Living Index-Cancer (FLIC). Data were collected at baseline, week 12, and week 14. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the BFI scores was reported in the PMR and MM groups when compared with the CG at weeks 12 and 14 (p = .002). Similarly, the use of emotional support and positive reframing sub-dimension scores of Brief COPE were significantly higher in the PMR and MM than in the CG at weeks 12 (p = .017) and 14 (p = .042). Furthermore, the planning and active coping sub-dimension scores were significantly higher in the PMR and MM than in the CG at week 14 (p = .000). Regarding QOL scores, no significant differences were observed between the groups at weeks 12 (p = .486) and 14 (p = .095). CONCLUSIONS: PMR and MM are effective interventions that if initiated concurrently with the adjuvant paclitaxel demonstrate similar effects on fatigue and coping styles.

Prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy with classical massage in breast cancer patients receiving paclitaxel: An assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This assessor-blinded, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial aimed at investigating the effect of classical massage on chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy and the quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant paclitaxel. METHODS: A total of 40 female breast cancer patients were randomly allocated to the classical massage group (CMG) or the control group (CG). Classical massage was applied to the patients in the CMG before each paclitaxel infusion. The CG received only usual care. Presence of peripheral neuropathic pain and QOL were assessed at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) findings were also recorded at baseline and week 12. RESULTS: The peripheral neuropathic pain was lower in the CMG compared to the CG at week 12 (p < 0.05). The sensory and motor sub-scale scores of the QOL measure showed statistically significant differences over time in favor of the CMG (p < 0.05). Sensory action potential amplitude of the median nerve was significantly higher and the tibial nerve latency was significantly shorter in the CMG compared to the CG at week 12. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that classical massage successfully prevented chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain, improved the QOL, and showed beneficial effects on the NCS findings.

Usage and attitudes related to complementary and alternative medicine among Turkish academicians on the basis of the five-factor model of personality: A multi-centered study.

OBJECTIVES: As the popularity of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) is increasing, it is important to understand the characteristics of people that make them to be attracted toward CAM and influence their attitudes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations between the socio-demographic characteristics of people as assessed by the a five-factor model and the attitudes toward CAM modalities among Turkish academicians. DESIGN: An online survey was completed by 227 academicians who were working in three leading universities of Turkey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The academicians were queried anonymously on socio-demographics and which CAM modalities they utilized, by filling out the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) and the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Health Questionnaire (HCAMQ). RESULTS: In regard to the intention of using a CAM modality in the academicians, 75.3% of the academicians specified an intention to use at least one form of CAM in their lives. Among all the academicians surveyed, 38.8% reported using at least one form of CAM in the previous year. The most widely used forms of CAM observed were herbal therapies and mind-body therapies (18.5%), touch-based therapies (15.4%), and multi-vitamin (4.8%). The ratio of CAM usage in the previous year was observed to be lower in the academicians working in the health-related professions. The present study also identified that the academicians with openness personality-type exhibited greater positive attitudes toward CAM (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study indicated that the academicians who are open to experience, as assessed by the five-factor model of personality, exhibited greater positive attitudes toward CAM. More than 60% of academicians agreed that CAM should be integrated into the curriculum, the remaining participants were unsure and disagreed. Therefore, the required feasibility studies to integrate CAM courses into the curriculum of Turkish medical and nursing schools are recommended as a priority.

The Perceived Caregiver Burden Among Turkish Family Caregivers Providing Care for Frail Older Adults.

PURPOSE: The older population has reached to 8.5%, and the prevalence of frailty is reported as 39.2% in Turkey. The purpose of the study was to assess caregiver burden in families who care for frail older adults in Turkish culture. METHOD: This descriptive study was conducted in Turkey between June and October 2017. Frail older adults who had no severe cognitive impairment were included. Data were measured using the Older Adult Information Form, Edmonton Frailty Scale, Caregiver Information Form, and Zarit Burden Interview. RESULTS: In total, 131 older person/caregiver dyads were analyzed; the Zarit Burden Interview mean score was 37.59 ± 18.20. Caregivers with less education and providing care more than 8 hours experienced a higher burden ( p < .05). The severity of frailty significantly correlated with the caregiver scores ( R = .36, p < .01). CONCLUSION: The caregiver burden in Turkish family caregivers was found mild to moderate and correlated with the degree of frailty. Policymakers should focus on culture-specific formal caregiver services.

Perspectives of Oncology Nurses on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

In Turkey, between 22.1% and 84.1% of patients with cancer use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). However, few CAM-related studies have focused on the perspective of oncology nurses. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Turkish oncology nurses regarding CAM. A descriptive cross-sectional survey of 127 participants was conducted in Ankara, Turkey. A semistructured questionnaire including characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of oncology nurses toward CAM was administered to participants. We found that more than half of nurses (54.0%) surveyed had no information on CAM modalities. Most oncology nurses (81.1%) used audiovisual media sources to obtain CAM information. Many nurses (81.3%) reported not using any CAM in cancer care, and only 26.8% recommended CAM to patients. Most nurses used CAM to accelerate wound healing (19.7%) and to manage symptoms, including constipation and diarrhea (8.8%) and anxiety (7.9%). Music (52.8%), massage (49.6%), and exercise (48.8%) were stated to be beneficial. Important barriers to use CAM for patients with cancer involved a lack of knowledge (60.6%); needing physician approval to apply any CAM methods to patients (52.1%); legal and institutional issues (47.2%); and limited educational, training, or certificate programs (44.1%). There is a need for increased knowledge about CAM by oncology nurses, considering their vital role in symptom management of patients with cancer. This can be achieved through solving legal and institutional problems, structured and comprehensive education/training programs, and the integration of CAM therapy into cancer care guidelines.

The effect of range of motion exercises on delirium prevention among patients aged 65 and over in intensive care units.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of range of motion exercises on preventing delirium and shortening the duration of delirium among patients in the intensive care unit who are aged 65 and over. The study was conducted in the intensive care unit on patients with non-invasive mechanical ventilation. The sample size included 47 patients from the intervention group and 47 from the control group. The incidence of delirium was 8.5% in the intervention group and 21.3% in the control group. The duration of delirium was 15 h for patients in the intervention group and 38 h for those in the control group. Although delirium incidence and duration decreased by 2.5-fold in the intervention group compared to the control group; there was no significant relationship between the intervention and control groups. In conclusion, as the decreases in delirium occurrence and duration were not statistically significant, the effect of range of motion exercises was limited.