Children patients with COVID-19: How can parental and peer support lessen the psychological burden of isolation.

AIM: To assess the effect of parental and peer support on children's self-esteem during the isolation period in COVID-19-infected children is the main objective of this study. DESIGN: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. One hundred ninety children with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were included. METHODS: A survey questionnaire to assess family and children's demographic characteristics was used for this study. A 13-item scale to assess parental support during the isolation period and a 10-item scale to assess peers' support during the isolation period were evaluated. Along with it, a 10-item scale to assess self-esteem during the isolation period was also measured. RESULTS: Home isolation was associated with higher parental and peer support scores than hospital isolation. The mean age of study participants was 13.23 ± 4.05 years; 52.6% were isolated at home versus 47.4% in hospital isolation. Phone calling and WhatsApp/messenger chat were methods of communication for 44.2% and 33.2% of patients, respectively. 6.3% of them had no method of communication. Child self-esteem was significantly affected by both parental and peer support during isolation. The increase in pronounced negative psychological effects such as disorientation, anger, low self-esteem and post-traumatic distress may be caused by a lack of parental care. NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION TO THIS STUDY: Patients or the general public were not involved in the design, analysis or interpretation of the data in this study. The study's aim and objectives were developed based on children's self-esteem, which was limited by questionnaire data information, so the researchers completed demographic and disease-related questionnaires by interviewing them.

The relationship between sleep quality and menopausal symptoms among postmenopausal women in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To assess sleep quality and examine its relationship with menopausal symptoms among Saudi postmenopausal women. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study of 410 postmenopausal women, aged 50-60 years, visiting Prince Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Maternity and Children Hospital, and primary health care clinics, Sakaka, Jouf, Saudi Arabia. The menopause rating scale (MRS) was used to assess menopause symptoms and severity, while the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. RESULTS: The participants' age was 53.04±4.15 years, their mean age at natural menopause was 49.14±3.07, and the meantime since their menopause was 6.50±3.84 years. The PSQI total mean score was 6.10±4.17, classified into good versus poor sleepers; 65.4% scored ≤5, and 34.6% scored >5. The Mann-Whitney analysis revealed that somatic and urogenital symptoms, and total MRS score were associated with poor sleep quality (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The study findings revealed that more than one-third of Saudi postmenopausal women had poor sleep quality.

Efficacy of Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy on sleeping difficulties in menopausal women: A randomized controlled trial.

Sleeping difficulties are the most significant cause of disability in menopausal women. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first line of management for sleeping difficulties and chronic insomnia. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of an Internet-based CBT program on sleeping difficulties in menopausal women. DESIGN: This was a randomized controlled trial. A total of 80 eligible menopausal women who fit the criteria of poor sleep quality were randomly and evenly assigned to the CBT intervention group or the control group. TOOLS: The tools used for data collection were the demographic sheet, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index, and sleep diary. Internet-based CBT modules were administered to the intervention group. Six consecutive modules were held weekly for each participant. Sleep quality scores and insomnia index scores were considered the primary outcomes, while sleep diaries were the secondary outcomes. Self-administered questionnaires were given at baseline and 6 weeks after randomization. FINDINGS: Internet-based CBT is effective in reducing sleeping difficulties, particularly sleep quality scores (-3.60 ± 2.76) and insomnia index scores (-5.10 ± 3.54) from baseline. Moreover, the program induced significant changes in sleep parameters, such as increased total sleep hours (t = 2.734, p = 0.008), increased sleep efficiency ≥85%, (t = 3.558, p = 0.001), and decreased sleep latency (t = 2.180, p = 0.033) compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: The strong predictors of having very poor sleep quality were short duration since last menopause, severity of hot flashes, and short duration of sleep difficulties. PRACTICE IMPLICATION: Internet-based CBT is a useful practical intervention for managing sleeping difficulties in menopausal women. The current study provides evidence on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of Internet-based cognitive behavioral intervention; thus, we recommend this method as a practical and accessible intervention to improve sleep in menopausal women.